Disgaea, End Of Darkness
by The Last Z Fighter
Summary: Crossover with La Pucelle/Phantom Brave. What's Adell to do in stuck in a different world? Powerful forces both dark and light are playing a dangerous game. It doesn't help Baal, Lord of Terror is back in action. This was the journey that changed him.
1. Adell's Arrival

**Authors Notes: **Hey fellow readers, glad you decided to click-wait don't go you know you want to. Anyway this is a crossover between Disgea 2 Cursed Memories and La Pucelle Tactics. In Disgea it takes place four years after the standard normal ending, in Pucelle its about four years give or take(roughly the same) after everything finished. How does Adell do in an diffrent world with no current way to go back? Keep in mind its been a while since I played Pucelle off so forgive me if chararterization isn't completely on target. Also some characters might be slightly diffrent because of time passing, but the things that make them, well them will still be there. Now on witht the fic!

* * *

Adell couldn't remember the last time he had been in this bad of shape.

Okay, he could in a way-and there were a lot of instances of him getting his fair share of wounds and scrapes but this was a slightly _different_ form of trouble. It had nothing to do with fighting this time around; that being something he was used to and could deal with. Instead he found both his arms slightly numb with his head having the slight buzz of an hangover.(Adell had never drunk, but he figured feeling like your head was about to be cut in half was pretty close) It also didn't help that he was completely clueless on just where he was exactly, true from the looks of thing he was in a forest but it felt different. The entire atmosphere wasn't the same, hell it didn't even smell or look the same and from what he could see, a lot of trees or plants he hadn't seen before.

This wasn't Veldime, the Gate Keeper had messed up.

_Its wasn't Her fault I got here somehow, its not my style to blame my problems on others. _The red-headed Martial Artist agreed with this bit of logic, he should have been a lot more clear on just where he wanted to go. However the fact remained that the forest was completely alien to him, but it was best to look around before jumping to conclusions. Maybe he had come into a forest he had never been before? It would make a degree of sense and it was more logical then thinking he had come to another world.

Nothing was going to get settled just sitting their so he adjusted his gloves before slowly walking, noticing for the first time how strangely silent the forest was. He kept his senses alert for any danger deciding not to take any chances, it also helped that his senses were a bit sharper then the average persons-a blessing and a curse depending on the situation.

**Crunch.**

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary but Adell stopped walking in mid-step, pausing. He had just stepped on a branch which made a bit more noise then what he intended, Adell had learned the finer benefits of stealth especially when he wanted to get somewhere quickly unmolested. Hearing no sounds of any creature or animal he started his walk again though a bit more wary if nothing else. Just because the forest was silent didn't mean their was anything out there. It felt like eyes were burning in the back of his head, watching and waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. _IF theire's nothing here, then why does it feel like I'm being hunted?_

Perhaps it was his imagination. All those years of fighting demons and monsters back when Zenon was ruling over had made a subconscious paranoia he wasn't aware of until his defeat. After that whole ordeal was over, he had thought he would have stopped fighting but he _couldn't _he had to at least train. It felt like such a waste just to let his skill and power go down hill and what if there was another threat to his loved ones one day? He made a promise to protect them, and he couldn't do that if he was to weak. He always kept his word and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure he stayed true to it.

Things were interesting back home. For one, his sister Hanako despite being a human being now still wanted to be a Demon Lord still, but in this case since she was a human now maybe a Lord with out the demon title. Adell didn't like the idea of his little sister doing that sort of thing..Etna wasn't that bad, not even the bratty prince of an Over Lord. Sure they "claimed" to be evil but there were far worse, one thing he had learned during his time was it was more of an cultural thing. Most demons were just odd or different, but evil? Taro had surprised him one day when he asked about him being trained. That didn't seem to be in character for his younger brother but he learned it had to due with some girl he wanted to impress he had met; figures.

Mom had went back to her old normal self, which basically was how she was before just she had a conscious and was caring. Dad..We'll he hasn't really changed that much, but that annoying pimple thing(or what ever the hell Adell thought it was) had disappeared and he thankfully was in his "original" body. The rest of the villagers reverted back to their normal selves, but Tink had oddly stayed in his frog form. He specifically remembered his small friend being pummeled by an ex Nekomata-after seeing a peak of her naked body when she transformed back into a human. His other friends he had made were normal pure demons, a few in the beginning his dad had hired the others he had gotten via the Dark Assembly or by helping them. At first he didn't like them all to much but they grew on him and visa versa.

The group was a bit unique, an Healer, a male and female warrior, an Samurai, a female Ninja, an Werecat and a Dragon-who had an oddly off beat sense of humor. After Zenon's defeat, they all went their separate ways. Adell would get the occasional letter every once in a while but other then that he rarely saw them, some weren't even native to Veldime so it was a bit hard. Yukimaru was the same way, but he could visit her a bit more often.

He missed them. They all had become like a small family to him and when they left a small part of him felt incomplete. As for Rozalin..

Things hadn't worked out as he had thought they would. When they kissed Adell was sure he had some sort of feelings for her even before that but things changed when they actually got into a actual relationship. It was both a bit rocky since they were both new to that sort of emotion which hadn't helped anyone. Adell and Rozalin didn't have as much in common and as time passed their feelings just slowly faded back to what they were; more of a brother and sister type of love. Fortunately they were good terms still, he knew that people that were friends first and dated and broke up often drifted apart completely after that.

_Its not that bad, that type of things happens all the time. Besides, were both young we have our whole life ahead of us for that sort of thing. But right now, I'm going to work on me for now._

Adell looked up again to his left hearing another loud crunch, now he knew for sure some one was following him._ Fine. Let them come._ He was tired of being cautious, the coward couldn't just be up front and face him. "Come on out. I know your out their." He called out, hearing no response he continued, then sliding into a fighting stance. "I'm going to give you one chance. 1,2-"

He cut himself off as a small girl probably around four years old came out a bit timidly and shyly. She had blond hair and blue eyes, she also wore a tunic but it was a bit messed up like it had better days. The child made no comment as she watched Adell carefully if not cautiously, any thing hostile from him and it looked like she would bolt.

Ashamed; Adell eased out of his fighting stance. _I'm getting out of touch if a little girl gets me thinking someones about to attack me. _Shaking the self-pity away he tried to fix a situation he had made. "Hey..Look I'm sorry. I should have been more aware of what I was doing. My name is Adell, you have a name?"

Silence. At least at first, the little girl looked as if she should say anything to the stranger and finally said so softly that even Adell had a hard time hearing it. "My name is Alouette."

He tried to relax her with a small smile, and for the most part it seemed to work. "Cool. Y'know this isn't exactly a place to be playing, forest can be pretty dangerous to. Where are your parents?"

"I don't have parents, they died." She replied quietly. "I just live with my Grand Parents."

_Nice one Adell. _A sarcastic voice couldn't help voice its unwanted opinion, the same one everyone had when they did something they deemed stupid. "Oh." The young man said almost stupidly not knowing what to say, saying the traditional 'I'm sorry' somehow didn't seem appropriate for what ever reason. "Forget I brought up any bad memories and I'm sorry if I did. So, where's this home of yours? In a village?" If there was a town nearby then it would make things all the better.

Alouettes face slowly lit up and adorable smile formed-at least he corrected himself, again. "We'll its just me and granny and papa. We live in a village but people don't like me that much. They call me names.." Her face fell and she trailed off again.

"What kind of names did they call you?" Adell said, frowning.

"..Demon or witch."

"Huh? How come?"

"Because I have this power."

"It can't be all that bad, but only if you don't want to say, your call." Adell crossed his arms, the twinge of numbness was still their but it was now just a dull throb, the Gate Keeper had messed up on more then one thing it seemed, hence his current state.

The child hesitated, then she held out a small petty hand as it glowed white touching Adell's arm. The numbness slowly retreated, replaced by a feeling of relief, the red-head stretched his arms experimentally.

"That's it?" Adell shook his head. "That's a real nice thing to have Alouette, I don't know why people would get bent out of shape over that sort of thing. If people can't get passed something so trivial so they need to get their head fixed."

"B-but the people hate me they say I'm a monster."

"They're idiots then." He replied bluntly. "Anyone who hates you because you can help someone by healing is an idiot. You don't have to worry about me hating you, I have a friend that can heal. She helped out a lot and was really gentle, so anyone says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about." Adell smiled. "Tell you what, I'll take you back to your village to make sure your safe."

Wary eyes looked at him then said slowly. "Promise?"

"I promise. You have my word." And he meant it to, if there was one thing he didn't like it was lying.

"You best get away from that demon and leave her to us."

Adell turned quickly to see three men, all of them had the scent of something he wasn't completely used to, but all of them had worn out clothes like they had been rugged travelers. They didn't look to friendly and all had some cheap swords at their hips-none of them were going to win any awards for most charming looking either.

"She's not a demon. And even if she was you guys don't have a right to hurt her just based on that." The small girl ran behind Adell who glanced at her before back at the men sliding into his trademark stance. "Its obvious she doesn't want you around. I'm gonna only say this once; leave unless you want to throw down." He read their movements and stance, none of them were really half-decent fighters just bullies that intimidated people for the most part, or brawlers at best.

"Fine with us demon lover." And with that, they attacked. It was sloppy and uncoordinated though as they tried to overwhelm him with just numbers alone. It wouldn't work for a number of reasons, one he fought opponents Many times stronger, and two he fought said opponents in much larger odds, often with some sort of handicap. Adell leaped over them easily as they stumbled over the spot where he used to be, the Martial Artist was a few feet away, arms crossed unimpressed.

"Hey you ladies going to fight or not?"

That did it, so they fool heartedly charged forward again, one had his sword drawn out and tried to impale Adell with it which made Alouette gasp but it only made him smirk. He easily moved his body slightly to the side as the man rushed past, his momentum throwing him off balance he took advantage of this by simply bringing his knee up, knocking the wind out of him and making the sword drop. The other remaining thugs are a bit sluggish(In more ways then one) so they didn't attack right away. For their credit though, they tried to work together with their swords to bring him down, which didn't work. Adell got bored with the fight and easily evaded their clumsy strikes before dropping them each with one simple palm strike when they left themselves open; effectively dropping them from the fight.

Adell went over to his charge, ignoring the pitiful groaning men. "You all right? Sorry you had to see that but sometimes its the only way."

"Your really strong Adell..." Alouette couldn't help but comment with a sense of awe in her words. "I wish I could fight."

The Martial Artist shook his head. "Its nothing. Fighting honestly is stupid, you shouldn't do it just because or it will get you hurt. I do it to protect the people I care about. Besides if train hard one day you can be strong to."

"Really?"

"I know so." He said confidently before his stomach growled, causing the small girl to giggle and Adell to gently rub the back of his head. "Guess I was more hungry then I thought. Can we go to the village now? If its okay with you of course." She didn't respond verbally, but rather she began walking in one direction which he followed. _I can kind of feel..this unique presence about the girl. Maybe its nothing. _He looked up at the sky after hearing a thunder clap. _Great. Rain. Just what we need._

Unnoticed to the two, someone had been watching, studying them. The beings plan was setting into motion, its focus was on the small girl but that annoying human could destroy everything it had worked for. It had to finish its plans before the Higher Ups of the Heavenly Realms learned what happened when someone messed with the "Natural Order" of things as they called it. Yes, it would have to think of something before all the big powers came into play; both of dark and light.

The red-headed who called themselves Adell, would be taken out permanently.


	2. Calm Before The Storm

In Celestia things were slowly going back to what they were, before a child Over Lord came and gave them a wake up call that they very much needed. After that day, vigorous training was in order and all the Angel-trainees were pushed to their limits. Seraph Lamington didn't think this training was truly needed, however he understood, to a point. By being defeated by a child, even a an Over Lord was a great blow to their pride.

As time went by the whole thing slowed down a lot then what it had been before, that didn't change that the training programs had gotten tougher. If he had wanted the Seraph could have stopped it but their was no point at least not now. His more important goal was restoring peace between the three worlds as they once had been; Earth, Netherworld, and Celestia. Flonne was doing her part but it would take more then just her it was a slow somewhat tedious task but Lamington believed in the long run it would be worth it.

Already he could see some progress, he had even heard some Angels were considering to visit the Earth, and some humans had wanted to see the Angels world. Soon after some of the demons wanted to, "See what all the fuss was about" so a few individuals demons had taken liberty upon themselves to visit the other two worlds once at the least. It wasn't perfect and often their were many cultural differences between the three races, but upon getting to know someone from a different race first hand showed that their prejudices were often born of ignorance. Simply what books told them from a biased stand point, which had only been part of the problem.

The Seraph at the present time was busy looking through his private library for something, it was the few times he was allowed to relax unbothered by politics and the concerns of a growing population. The library was huge, each shelf having countless rows of books of all kinds from Fantasy to Romance(Lamington was the few males that liked that genre, but he often found most to be dull and unrealistic in its views on love)

_I have to thank Lady Ayame for this tea. _Taking a small sip of the green liquid, he gently put it aside by a pitcher along side some thick books he already been through. He had patience so it didn't frustrate him that he wasn't finding what he was looking for, in fact he didn't know exactly it was that he was seeking-but he would know when he found it.

Lamington could feel a sudden shift in the air as another presence appeared behind him, he was not alarmed because he knew who it was. Taking another small bird-like swallow of his drink he spoke with out turning around, "Welcome old friend. Did you come to read with me like old times?"

In response a chuckle was heard as Mid-Boss, or as he called himself "The Dark Adonis" however, the Seraphim was the few people that knew who he really was and his secret. "I would enjoy that but I'm afraid its not just a reunion of old friends. I wish to talk to you about something." For those who knew him, they would have been surprised on how serious he was, but then few knew who he really was.

"I felt as much." The Angel commented lightly, motioning for his friend to take a seat nearby since their was no need to stand. "So tell me, what is troubling you?" As a Seraphim he had limited empathy skills or so it was said, that or he was simply good at reading peoples body language and facial expressions.

"This tea is truly top quality, give the maker my thanks." Mid-Boss said with a content sigh after taking a sip then put it down, making a slight tap before speaking again, "To the point. I have been doing some digging for personal reasons why the Red Moon is acting so irregularly among other things. Someone is bending the After Life to their own whims, a very dangerous thing."

"..Please continue."

"From what I could gather on my own, a balance of power is starting to shift once again. Battles on the higher planes happen all the time, but this is the rare occasion where it effects the Mortal Planes, in other words our reality. Very powerful and dangerous forces are at work here, we must be cautious."

Lamington for once wasn't passive, he seemed to be thinking, going over any information trying to remember anything that might be of value in his memory. "So what your saying in other words, is that a war of some kind is going on and we might get stuck in the middle? And how did you come up with this information?"

Adonis nodded. "Partly right. There is still much I do not know, I will have to keep doing some private digging once more. As for the how I got this information? Lets just say I have my ways. Tell me, do you know Maiden of Light, specifically the one named Alouette?"

His Angelic friend closed his eyes, as if thinking. "Yes. I know about the Maiden of Light and I know this Alouette, though not as well as I might have liked. Why?"

"It has to do with someone bending the After Life and as such things that normally don't happen occur. Tragically she died in battle, as noble as it was. But instead of being allowed rest as she rightfully should have, she was reincarnated as a little girl with no memory of her past life, ironically she still shares the same name. I find it..too much of a coincidence." He shook his head. "In Parprica is where the person manipulating the Higher Realms is at currently. Also our old friend is back.."

Something didn't feel right when he mentioned an old friend. A bad feeling in the pit of the man's stomach, Adonis facial expression was very serious, he almost dreaded the answer. "Who might that be?"

"Baal, The Lord of Terror." His Demon friend replied back in a humorless tone. "I had thought that the seal I created was strong enough to hold him for longer, but it seems I underestimated his great strength. He's not here anymore, instead he's going to another place he can claim another land as his own."

Obviously troubled, Lamington didn't reply right away. How where they going to stop such a creature? He remembered fighting that _thing _it didn't even deserve to be called a he. It was a little known fact that the Seraph had once fought Baal, and a lesser known fact he terrorized the land of demons and Angels alike. The Angel could still recall that horrible power, he could still see the destruction the thing had caused, the weeping of mothers in a horrible wail over their children..

Shuddering unconsciously with out realizing it worried his friend but he had to ask, "What should we do? We can't let a monster like that run free, it was our responsibility to put an end to the creature."

"I know old friend." Mid-Boss gave a tired sigh, seeming to age a few years like everything had finally gotten to him. He didn't show it or act it often but he had heavy burdens on his shoulder and in his heart, but the Angel promised himself he would help with that as much as he could."This isn't something we can ignore..but at the same time you can't cause a panic." He said calmly, thinking of a plan.

"If I know anything about Baal is that he likes a challenge, since supposedly higher powers are at work; then he'll go to Parprica once he learns of it. If who ever is destroying the natural balance wins, I fear the worse." Adonis then waited for a response.

Lamington was silent for a long time. What should he do? Not only did his own people need him but it was the middle of a critical time in their history when the three races were on a shaky alliance at best. On the same token he knew if this wasn't handled the problem could get out hand and in effect not only harm this dimension, but many others. If what he knew about messing with the natural balance was true, then it would be like a domino effect-destroying multiple reality's at once. _Father, I could use your wisdom now.._

"I will take care of this matter; personally."

Adonis looked at his friend for a hard moment. "Are you sure?" He asked simply.

"Yes. Its something I feel I must do. I will leave things in charge to my second in command Lady Ayame, she's an Arch Angel so this will be a good exercise for her, the event something were to happen to me." He stood up. "I thank you for telling me, are you coming with me?"

"As much as I would enjoy coming on your adventure with just the two of us like in our youth, I have things to take care of this side. Someone needs to keep an eye out on things here, besides I have a hunch I'll be needed here for a purpose. Be careful Lamington, it will be very a dangerous journey." A flash crossed the slightly pale demons face, as if he remembered something. "I have to leave for now."

Lamington watched his friend slowly walk away, not surprised at the sudden change in attitude. "King Krichevskoy." The mention of his friends real name caused the other man to pause but didn't turn back around. "..Do you still miss her?" His voice was barely audible.

"Everyday my friend, everyday." Once that was said he silently left the Angel to his own devices and thoughts.

* * *

Croix was finding out why it was good to keep a low profile, something he knew for a long time but never fully appreciated until this point. Four years since he left Prier and the others but it seemed longer somehow, almost like a whole life time ago. Sometimes he would remember a fond memory or two about the group but never dwelled on it for to long. If he thought about it to long then chances were he may give into the weakness and go back.

Honestly, four years was probably enough to repent and cleanse his inner demons. So again, why didn't he return back to Prier? It was something that kept him up at night and he pondered it on constantly until he finally came up with an answer: his feelings were misplaced. Every time he looked at her, heard her voice it reminded him of his first love-Angelique.

He felt guilty about that, and when the realization finally settled in didn't really help his morale either. Maybe he hadn't tried hard enough? But would it be right to force something that wasn't true, wouldn't that make things worse instead of better? If he truly had no feelings for Prier and he had repented, what was keeping him from coming back? Was it to keep her heart from being broken?

Croix hated himself for being a coward about it.

Walking through another crowded city, he was mildly annoyed when people kept getting in his way irritating him slightly. His employer was somewhere around here but the problem was they hadn't really been to specific with their directions and were pretty vague. However, the amount of money made up for it and at this point he wasn't sure if he should decline. That was until recently.

Outside of Parprica, there had been an empire slowly growing and making themselves known. They had claimed a lot of land and had a heavy influence which probably even rivaled The Church of the Holy Maiden. They had plenty of zealots in their ranks with their beliefs and views. If you wanted to keep your heard, Croix learned you had to be careful on what you said and acted around them. He winced mentally remembering a poor young woman getting burned after being accused of being a witch; simply because giving birth to an "unique" child with odd markings on them.

With the alarming rate of demon attacks rising, especially now recently Croix guessed some were willing to turn the other cheek, even on stuff they might not have agreed with. Frankly, the empire disgusted him, reminded to much of the hateful ignorant people who had killed his fiancé and at the same time a part of himself as well.

Two children were playing with their backs turned playing with a ball-one boy and one girl. But the moment they turned around so he could see them, Croix looked surprised.

The two children's face had been half burnt away, yet no one payed it any mind.

Turning away he couldn't help but clinch his fist a bit. This empire claimed they supported justice and love. But just what the _hell _was that? _It's all a bunch of lies by a bunch of self-righteous power hungry cowards_. A voice in the back of his head sneered, _"Like yourself?"_

Wisely, the free lancer Demon Hunter ignored the cynical voice that appeared in his head from time to time.

"Hey stranger. You must be the hunter I was looking for." Turning around he saw a man who looked like a priest from the same empire he despised, accompanied by two swordsmen guards. "I know I could count on you to come. Now lets discuss business."

Croix bit back the urge to tell all three to stuff it and leave him alone but he wasn't stupid and knew it would get him killed. "I manage." He said, his tone dry and devoid of emotion. "What do you want?"

"You should relax, you'll live longer, but business comes first with you I see." The priest looked at the children Croix saw, and a visible look of distaste formed before vanishing, that fake charming disgusting smile the Demon Hunter badly wanted to rip off formed again quickly. "I want you to take care of a demon problem."

"I wouldn't have guessed you would call me for that."

Ignoring Crox's obvious sarcastic comment he continued unhindered. "In a village to the south I have been hearing word of a demon woman and its spawn. It lives on the edge of the forest and its been slain many of the villagers." He sighed. "Regretfully, we could not track the creature and its child, if you could call it that, down. That's why we need you sir Croix, your known for your tracking skills."

_Why do I have a feeling theirs more to this story then he's telling me? _Croix made his first response blunt and to the point. "How much are you paying me?"

A knowing smile appeared on the priest lips. "I was thinking to pay you enough to last you about a years time. A noble man such as yourself deserves as much as I can give. I want the head of the demons both."

_...Now he's just kissing my ass. I could tell he doesn't like me. _Adjusting his shades, Croix shook his head."First off, I want to get some things straight. One I will do things My way, but I will provide you with proof I've done my end of the deal. Two, don't insult my intelligence by kissing up, its very unbecoming a priest, isn't lying a sin?."

If camera's existed in this point in time, the priest's face would have been priceless.

A low growl came from the man's throat. "Watch your tongue. I can have it cut out for talking badly about a child of the Gods." Croix resisted the temptation to make another snide remark and remained silent as the priest handed him a map, which he took. "Where you need to go is marked. Have a good day sir." He and his guards walked away rather stiffly.

_I think I felt myself get dumber. _Shaking his head once more, he headed off in the opposite direction looking at the map. It was interesting to say the least, some of the things on it he didn't completely understand. _Careful what you wish for Croix. _Making sure his shades were firmly on as some sun got into his eyes, he left town and wandered into the unknown.


	3. Settling In

**Authors Notes: **So I have one person that hasn't played Disgaea 2 yet, and two who haven't played La Pucelle. Truthly you don't really need to play D2 to understand this story, since Adell really is the only one from that game that has a big role(atleast right now, may change). I gave away Pucelle some years ago because I was stupid-now I can't go back to make sure I get character persona and other things right(Its a Really rare game now atleast where I live, good luck finding it). Once again thanks for the reviews, I'm glad some people are having fun with this. To Happy Mask, as for Noir appearing? I'm not sure just yet, but with the After Life among other things out of whack you never know but I'm kinda nervous because he was a favorite character of mine and I'd hate to mess his character up(Side note to Happy Mask girl, I'm a fan of your own crossover and your review made my day) Ok I'm done geeking out, here we go. Another side note, for some reason It won't let me have the it the exact way I had it on wordpad, I'll figure out a way around it though.

* * *

"You sure your grand parents won't mind me coming?" Adell had been following the little girl known as Alouette, promising to escort her safely home; a wise decision on his part in his opinion espically after seeing those stupid thugs. If he hadn't been their then the situation could have been alot worse, he liked to think they wouldn't go to far but he didn't know, some people really were just that heartless. For the most part the little girl was silent; only talking when needed usually. 

"No. No one visits us because they don't like us." The blonde child voice was a bit down but perked up, "But your nice and you helped me so they'll like you I'm sure!"

"I think so to." Adell coudn't help but slowly smile, kids were usually alot more cheerful then adults were. It was one reason and a little-known fact that the fist fighter had a soft spot for little kids somewhere. It was that unbeat attitude and cheerfulness. It never lasted long enough. Eventually that innoncence would be snuffed out once they were exposed to the outside world and the cruelty of it. A very sad thing he realized, the moment you were born, was the moment your innoncence started to slowly die.

_These tree's look Exactly the same as the other ones. Shouldn't their be an opening or something by now? It's not like Alouette could wander to far, after all she's probably around four or five. _Adell was about to ask how much further they had to go before, much to his releif, a small settlment came to view. Good. He was tired of that forest and was anxious to get out of it..something about it gave him a bad feeling and the sooner they both got out of their, the better.

It wasn't terribly bad, nor was it good in terms of apperance-the village that is and Adell had seen worse. Men worked outside during the afternoon heat, old men and women chatted with one another reliving the days of their youth, children played often get warnings from their parents from roughing around to much.

All and all, it seemed fine so far.

That was until Alouette and Adell actually became noticed. The friendly atmosphere instantly changed and the despite the warm wheather, it seemed to have went down a few degree's. Not only did the whole warm feeling disspear, but the peoples warmth as well. Men stopped working to look at her, frowning, mothers kept their children from going any closer-the older men and women made no effort to hide their disdain for the girl. It was more like some type of digusting-looking abomonation had just walked into the village, rather then a cute gifted but harmless little girl.

_Just what the hell is wrong with these people? _Adell had never felt such digust in a long time, he noticed the little girl keeping her head down as if ashamed. The martial artist simply said, "Keep your head up." Slowly she lifted her head back up and focused ahead, not before one of the villagers, a man in his twenties tried to throw a rock at her. Not even stopping his walk and much to peoples shocked he caught the rock, calmly crushing it to a fine powder with his super human strength, making sure they saw. He released the now pulverized rock which was basically dust now, the offender nearly lost control of his bladder and the rest backed away.

Adell couldn't help but think to himself, their were much better ways then dealing with people then just fighting them, something he picked up from Etna and Rozalin. Not that he would admit that openly though. Besides, it wasn't really in his nature to get into scuffles with people he could beat or even accidentally kill if he wasn't careful.

"Granpa, Grandma! I'm home!"

Alouette's voice made the young man focus on the house in front of them. Unlike the rest of the homes, it was somewhat isolated away from the rest of the village, on a lone hill some feet away. Now, after seeing how the rest of the other population acted he had a good guess on why they lived somewhat away's from the rest. To be honest, the house wasn't all that big and it didn't really stand out at all compared to the other ones at first glance. Adell crossed his arms lightly standing behind her as they both waited for the door to open, he was feeling kind of nervous if they got on the wrong foot with her folks.

A small creak sound was heard as the door slowly opened, revealing an old woman with grey hair. Her clothes looked like she had made them herself rather then buying them. Her best feature was her smile which formed the moment she opened the door and saw Alouette. "Where have you been? I was so worried about you.." She began to fuss over her and didn't even notice Adell at first who remained tactfully silent for now. But once she did she looked at him. "Your not one of the villagers here to accuse here of something again are you?"

"Don't worry Adell's nice, he helped me."

This in turn caused the old woman to look at Adell, it looked like she was trying to look _into _him. It was enough even to make him feel a bit nervous, for what seemed like forever but it was probably only a minute, she backed off. "Is this true young man? You helped my grandaughter?"

He slowly shook his head. "It's nothing. I just did what came natural to me thats all, some thugs came but I took care of theml. Your grandaughter kept me from getting lost, I come from some ways from here." _Try Another demension far away. _"I'm Adell, its nice to meet you."

"No need to be so modest, but thats a good trait to have. My name is Alison, please come in its already getting dark." It wasn't like he got a chance to protest even if he wanted to because she ushered both of them in the home rather quickly, closing the door behind them. Inside was pretty small, actually that was being generous. It had a kitichen, a small living room with a fire place snuggled in between and an upstairs he hadn't seen yet.

"My husband is asleep like usual but he'll come around, I swear that's all the man does all day but have a seat." Alison already had something boiling on the pot and went to go check on it. Adell made himself comfortable in a chair and Alouette went by the fire place, not to soon after a white kitten mewed gently, trying to get some attention from its master.

"I heard that woman, I ain't been sleep all day." A male voice said tiredly, an man around his fifites or so came slowly walking in, like his wife his clothes weren't really all that fancy eithe, he had to walk with a cane though. From his body langauge and the way he walked, it looked like he wasn't to happy that he couldn't walk but his wife could. "Who's this?"

"Bernard! Don't be so rude to our guest." Alison looked slightly agitated, more of his grammar then his manners. "And ain't isn't a word."

"I've been using it just fine, thank you." He smirked slightly when his wife gave him one of those looks when she would throw a pillow at him when they were younger, instead he simply sat down by the table, with some obvious difficulty. "So like I said who's the kid?"

"His name is Adell, and he helped Alouette earleir. Adell, this is my husband Bernard. Benard, Adell." The slight distraction caused her to almost forget about the food she was making, and rather hurriedly went back to the stove.

"That so kid? I guess I owe you one. Were ya from?" He asked rather gruffly, trying to pretend the stranger didn't interest him at all.

"I come from a place called Veldime. Its really far away, you wouldn't have heard of it." Adell still Hated lying, however he knew their was a time and place for everything..we'll he was learning that now anyway. Besides, that was the truth he just hadn't gone into details about where his "home" really was located and the other little details.

The old man studied him, "Humph. You defiantly ain't from around here with those clothes of yours, or that accent. Your none of the Lior Empire's dogs are you? "

"Bernard.." His wife said warningly.

"Uh..what empire?" Adell's expression was completely clueless on even what they were talking about. That look really was a good acor, that or he was an geuine but it was of course the later.

Both grandparents looked at each other before back to the red-head, he _really _must of been from a far off land.

Alison sighed before saying anything, still concentrating on her cooking. "The Lior Empire is one that started appearing around four years ago, it was around but it never started to get this powerful until now. We live in on the continent of Ziya, its a bit aways from Parprica, one of the few places that doesn't have their influence. It's..hard living under their rule. If you have a diffrent relegion then the main one, then you can get in trouble, same if your diffrent-like Alouette. Then they'll have what they call 'cleansing', to people thought to be demons, heretics or witches among other things.."

A grunt was heard from her husband as he added his own two cents. "Those rat bas-"

"Bernard, langauge." Alison cut him off since the child was still in the room.

"..As I was saying they pretty much are the law here so you'd best be careful. Doesn't help with all these monsters and strange things happening.."

Given the situation was a bit diffrent, but in some ways it reminded him of Zenon's rule, but only vaguely. The diffrence was he had pretty much retreated and made no real outside contact or anything of that sort, here they were active. Surprised at himself, he found this interesting so he had to prompt, "If Parparcia is safer then here, why haven't you guys moved then? And what strange things?"

"It's not that easy." The wife continued queitly, "It cost alot for just one single person to ride on a ship across, let alone three. Another thing you have to realize is that Lior keeps a tight lock on transportation on who leaves and who comes here. Some people have tried fleeing by boat and had sailors noble enough to smuggle them so they could escape persecution, but they usually get caught by the navy. If you try to do it by land your just as bad shape, since you have to travel through a large area to finally leave this one."

Alison sat down some plates in front of Adell and Bernard, some chicken along with other supplment foods. She glanced at Alouette before speaking in a much softer tone. "We really don't have to much time left before the second cleansing a week from now. When that happens, we won't be able to protect her from their rage. But if we try to flee then it would rise suspicion, already enough people are wary of her but we can't just sit. As for your other question, lately the wheather has been acting rather odd, people claiming they see dozens of ghost walk in a straight line in a march, but no one knows where they go."

The savior of Veldime looked at his food then back at Alouette who had fallen asleep with the kitten in her lap. He suddenly didn't feel to hungry anymore. He didn't know the little girl well or her grandparents but they all seemed like good people, which mad him a bit sad they would be driven from their home, but after describing things maybe it was better that way..

"Your not a fist fighter are you? Just noticed your gloves. Did someone teach you?"

Adell was embarrassed he had gotten side tracked like that, he seemed to be doing that alot lately but answered Bernard's question. "Basically. I'm a Martial Artist, I was taught by someone named Kane, it wasn't something I learned on my own." He hadn't learned fighting on his own, during his younger years of demon-fighting he was taught by an old man; far past his prime but still strong in their own right. Kane was tight lipped about his past-the only information he got from his was that he was one of the best hand to hand fighter of an Over Lords. Though his eyes almost always had a sad expression on his face. It was as if teaching him would make up for somethings he had done in his past.

Interested, or nosy the old man prodded. "Hmm, what happened to your teacher then?"

"He died of old age." Adell answered a bit more stiffly then he intended to. _Calm down Adell, chill its not like you. He was just asking a question, their's really no need to get upset about it espically since he didn't know..._

Having a gene her husband lacked which was called tact and sensing it was a touchy subject; Alison wisely choose to change the subject. "You probably should be heading to bed soon Bernard." The only reply was a grunt but she knew him long enough to where strangely she understood him anyway. "Could you help me take Alouette to bed?"

"Sure." Not seeing a problem with it, he scooted out of his seat and picked up Alouette, with out waking her up that is. It looked like Alison had a hard time even picking up basic things from the looks of it, maybe thats why she didn't want to pick her up herself. Adell hoped he didn't get that old, no offense meant. Alison lead him to a tiny room, relatively plain. Just a bed and a few worn out dolls. Gently he layed the growing young lady down and tucked her, it reminded him when Hanako and Taro were younger..

"You have younger brother or sister? Looks like you've done this before."

_Freaky concidence? _Adell nodded. "I have a brother and sister back at home. This is something I just used to do for them. I really should be going though, it's getting late."

She insisted though, "Are you sure? It's really dangerous to wander around these parts at night. We wouldn't mind you sleeping here until the morning, then you can go out on your own, we're going to town anyway tomorrow. Sound fair?"

"We'll..." He rubbed the back of his neck. _I hate just staying at someones place like this, it feels like I'm free loading. _Finally he came to a decision. "Ok. I'll stay. But in return, I'm going to work for the free meal and rest you gave me. That sound fair?"

She chuckled. "Of course. We have an extra room down the hall. Get some sleep. If you need me I'll be downstairs." Adell watched her leave and glanced back at the sleeping child one more time before leaving himself, closing the door behind him. He found that his own room had nothing but a bed, either they moved everything or no one really used this room.

Not that he was complaining, but he found it kind of strange Alouette's mother trusted him so easily into their home. She didn't seem stupid, and most people normally didn't let strangers in like this. To an extent he could understand, after all he did save her grandchild but allowing him to sleep over was a bit much. _Mom said their's certain people that can feel auras or something, maybe she's one of them? It could be anything though.. _Adell put both hands behind his head staring at the ceiling. _I wonder how ever one else is doing. Their has to be some way out of here, right..? _No answers came to him, but the darkness eventually did.

* * *

"Stupid wheather, stupid hu-" Prier didn't finish as she sneezed, probably around the second or more times since the whole ordeal started. It had _started _simple enough. Their had been a demon raiding a town, sometimes killing people but most of the time it simply ate the food at the local bakery, making the owner not to happy to put it lightly. It only came out at night for what ever reason, and it was attracted to the human food; so they had set up a 'clever' trap and were waiting for it. The bad news they were at night time in the rain miserable, waiting for this demon to show up. The other bad news? Her and Culotte had to work with the most annoying free lance demon hunter she ever had the displeasure of working with. 

They didn't know what church he worked for, but at this point Prier would have sent the man in a streacher back home, if Culotte wasn't here anyway. The only thing they knew was his name, Zarim. He was older then both the female and male member of La Pucelle though most likely middle-aged. Apperance wise, he was ok, he just had an odd uniform made of white-almost like a tunic with blonde hair and black eyes. Not that that female hunteress noticed such things, she was using her training not say or do anything to him. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself a bit just why did it have to be so cold tonight?

"If your going to catch a cold La Pucelle, then you should go inside and let the calm rational people handle this. After all, should be inside, thats more of your place." Zarim said cooly, his back turned not even looking at her.

_Bastard..! _She was about to commit an act of unrestrained violence on the upstart by bashing his head in; preferbaly with her weapon of choice the baton. Her younger brother stopped her though to keep her from doing anything, not by physical force alone, even after all these years she was still stronger in terms of strength. It was just a back part of Prier's brain wanted to stop herself from beating the newcomer silly, but he was pushing it and had been pushing it the moment he joined earlier today.

"I know he's not the easiest to get along with," Culotte whispered in his sisters ear, "But we do need his help for now to catch the demon. ..If after he keeps acting up and gets your temper going again I won't stop you." He wasn't to fond of Zarim either, his views and manners really didn't agree with him at all, and worse it was like he was trying to convert him, but he wasn't that bad. Getting something out of always handy back pack(He hadn't really had the heart to give it away) he got a small blanket and drapped it on his sister's shoulders to keep the wind from making her to cold. "Deal?"

"Deal! ..And thanks." She said the last part more queitly.

Culotte could barely hear the last part, but he smiled already knowing what it was she said. Zarim had turned to him wondering what they were talking about but dimissed it as children goofing off. Culotte couldn't beleive sometimes how his sister changed slightly, as well as everyone else. They were older now true, he was now sixteen while his sister was twenty and both looked more mature-looking. Strangely they still dressed the same, when going demon hunting anyway, it was an unspoken security blanket between the two. Prier looked more like a woman now, becoming slightly taller with a bit change of in voice, nothing really changed besides that.(That a brother would notice on a sister anyway) He had grown much taller, much like a delayed growth spurt and now towered over his older sister-something she wasn't to happy with. While he looked older, people still said he had a 'clueless' expression; he didn't think that was a compliment.

_I guess somethings really don't change all that much. I'm not sure if Prier still misses 'him' since its a touchy subject I don't really bring it up, just like she doesn't bring up Alouette in front of me. I've grown to accept her death, I think it was around the second year that I decided to just let it go, she wouldn't want me to be sad all the time. Prier on the other hand, I can't tell. She certainly Acts normal..._

_"_Culotte! Stop spacing out day dreaming, we've got company!"

_Like I said, Prier hasn't changed that much in some ways.._

It looked like he was about to make a snappy come back and the two would engage in a word spar like usual when the ground began to shake lightly, it must have been big. Prier twirled her Baton in her hand expertly, body at the ready. Zarim pulled out a whip of all things and what looked like a jug or something along those lines. Culotte had no weapon though, years ago he had been learning elemental magic from a retired wizard, he still wasn't the best at sometimes it messed up, but it was much more convient. Let Prier handle the up close fighting while he attacked from a distance, this way they stayed to their strengths.

The demon/monster what ever it was was pretty tall, easily thirteen foot even. Muscles were apart of of its powerful black-colored body that was vaguely humanoid in some ways. It's predator, crocodile-like shaped head and long tail was a clear sign it wasn't human though, as were the red eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. The three held their breath as it came closer to the bait...

..And closer. Then it stopped. Sniffing the air once, a low growl came from it's throat before the demonic head snapped in another direction and took off south of the city, specefically right towards one of the cities orphanages.

Prier gave a frusterated grunt. "Ugh! It almost worked to! C'mon before that thing causes to much trouble." She tightened her grip around her weapon before giving chase. Zarim sighed before putting the small jug of water away, Culotte had followed soon after the female Pucelle so he was actually the last one to come after them, muttering something under his breath.

"Hiyaah!" Using a new trick she had learned, Prier actually tossed her Baton at the creatures head since she wasn't in striking distance, the weapon hit the demon with enough force to kill a man or knock a lesser demon out, the weapon came back like a boom-o-rang. It however only made the thing pause on contact, which was really all she wanted. If the thing went any further it would have hit the Orphanage for sure.

"You fool!" Zarim said catching up, slightly out of breath he was missing his youth. "You should have let it get distracted first, then we could have done a full on assault and possibly ended it. Now it knows where a threat. Don't you use your head?!"

"Hey! That thing was about attack the building, I did what I had to do!" Prier replied defensively, knowing it wasn't the time for her infamous temper just yet.

"Guys, we have_ bigger _problems right now!" Culotte's voice of reason let the two come back into the reality of the situation.

Which, of course was a powerful and very big demon about steam roll over the three and turn them into fleshy pancakes.

Everyone moved out of the way, either by rolling or jumping to the side as the angry monster came through, half second later not moving and they all would of had an unfourtnate quick end to their careers to their short lives, we'll maybe not Zarim. Prier was the first to make the intial attack by dodging a meaty fist which struck the ground she had been, making cracks in the concrete. Running along is arm, she brought her baton down hard over it's head..only to have it shrugg the attack off as well as her. Zarim moved with surprising speed for his age and pulled out that strange jug again, removing a cork before tossing the watery-substance in the things face. It roared in pain as the sound of sizzling was heard like someone frying eggs, not only that but steam came from its face, stumbling backwards blindly.

However, that was the last thing Zarim had, and he wasn't sure what else would phase the demon, who had recovered by this time with its face messed up. Snarling, it focused its rage on the oldest member of the trio but even so he wasn't defenseless. The whip proved to be quite the effective weapon under his hands, and he avoided the angry blows as best as he could, but he made a mistake which cost him dearly. It grabbed him by its head before plunging its other clawed hand into his chest, making him cry out in pain.

"Leave him alone!" The insults and everything temporarily forgotten, Prier rushed forward and delviered a drop kick right to the things head, it was strong enough to destroy doors easily and had only gotten stronger through the years. But, like all the other physical attacks it shrugged them off, though it did drop Zarim. It caught the red-head by her foot, and then tossed into a building or tried to but she regained her balance in mid-air, landed on the ground and used the monetum of her landing like a spring to launch herself at the demon, hitting it between its legs. It actually effected it somewhat and caused it to stumble slightly backwards.

_Please work. If it doesn't.._Culotte could only pray his high-level fire spell would work and not tap out on him since he had been charging it up the moment the fight begun. Newer magic users, his teacher had said take a longer time to use the more powerful spells but as you grew more powerful in magic and more expereince, you would be able to do it faster. "Prier! fall back to me!" It was the only cue she needed, as she back flipped away from the thing's angry swipe, picking up Zarim's body and rushing towards her brother with her opponent giving chase. He needed to get this perfect..Twenty meters.

"Ash, to ashes..." He began, saying words, it was a crutch new magic users had as well-it wasn't needed to use a spell but it helped them concentrate their energy.

Fifteen meters, Prier was almost to him as was the creature..

"Dust to Dust.."

Five meters and counting, he had to get this right, he could hear his sisters heavy breathing and Zarim's unmoving limp form in her arms.

"Fair well. Giga fire!" It opened it's mouth to try to take Prier's head off, but what it didn't know was that was the Exact opportunity Culotte had been waiting for, the creature was probably more vunerable on the inside. The mid-level fire spell was actually swallowed by the demon, it's body turning into a living bone fire; its death howl cracked any nearby windows and almost made his ears bleed. It soon stopped moving and just turned to ashes, just like he mentioned in the first part of the spell.

"You've gotten really good Culotte." Prier admitted between panting, the rush from battle was now slowly leaving her body and she was starting to feel tired now again. She checked up on Zarim, he was bleeding pretty heavily and she tried to stop the blood by putting pressure on it with his own shirt but it wasn't working.

"..You..should..just..leave me..I won't make it." Zarim wheezed, waking up coughing a bit of blood.

"Shut up! Were going to fix you up and take you back." Prier said the comment a bit forcefully but it was more like she was worried.

"Let me do it. I'm sorry, this might hurt a little bit Zarim." Moving aside, she allowed her little brother to close his eyes, a hand over the older man's body. A soft red glow came from it as he used a low-level fire spell, but he had to be careful; it just had to be enough to mend the flesh back together and that was it. After that was done he backed up allowed Prier to do the lifting.

"Let's go back home." It was amazing how quickly Prier's attitude towards him changed, the moment he was in danger of dying she had pretty much forgotten that she wanted to wring his neck or bash him with her baton. The trip went in relative silence as they headed back to the city they had called home for so long.

Culotte looked up at the stars. _Sister Alouette. I wonder if your up their watching us? Don't worry though, I'll keep Prier out of trouble for you.._

* * *

**Authors Notes: **I feel this might have been a slightly slow chapter, we'll on Adell's POV anyway. But sometimes you have to have slow parts to set things up, and I Really don't want to rush things to much. That said I once again thank my few reviwers and hopefully you stay with me on this trip a bit longer. Send C&C on your review or simply E-mail me on my profile, remember to R&R. The next chapter might take a bit longer, since I'll have to think on it a bit more. I hope people don't mind me making Culotte a magic user on this one, but it just seems to fit his personality more then a sword or anything else. See you guys next chapter. 


	4. City Brawl And A New Ally

**_Authors Notes: _**Hello again, it's surprisingly the fourth chapter in the story(surprise on my side) I honestly didn't expect anybody to like this story, but it seems I was wrong.(then again it could be the writers complex of always hating your work) Like a fellow reviewer suggested, I'm going a bit slower and checking spelling and grammar errors more. It also helps I finally have something besides crappy Word Pad. On with the story-side note the language is slightly stronger in this chapter. That and I'm going to try to get La Pucelle-via Ebay both for the sake of the story and my desire to get the game again. For some reason, my spacing keeps getting messed up when I make a chapter for the story, anyone know how to get around this?(If I edit it, it'll go back to how it was)

* * *

"_A little to slow. Come on Taro, your not even trying." Adell _was _busy training_ was his younger _brother out in the back, mom was inside and dad was just enjoying the peace; sitting in a chair. It came to a surprise when his brother wanted him to teach him hand to hand, but he was all to happy to teach him. If he got nothing else out of it, this would help him out with his confidence problem and grow a bit more of a spine._

"_I am trying!" The former demon made another attempt by trying to punch Adell, which he easily avoided or blocked._

"_Don't just throw an attack and pause." The elder brother side stepped as Taro once again tried and failed to hit him, it threw him off balance a little. "You have to be more aggressive and follow up, don't hesitate it could cost you the fight. Never hesitate. Follow up with other attacks, what ever comes to mind to you." Since the sparring match had begun, he hadn't really_ _attacked more then just a few times, he wanted to make things fair._

_Adell thought he might have been pushing his younger brother to hard, but it was really for his own good. Before he could lunge at him again he called a time out. "You did good today. Let's call it a day and take a break for now." Taro slid down completely exhausted like he had run a thousand miles, but he didn't really notice._

"_Adell, wake up." The martial artist could only look around as the scene suddenly faded to black, his brother along with rest disappearing into the darkness._

Instead of sleeping over his parents house like he did sometimes, Adell found himself in a completely different room then his old one. It was far to plain and it was missing far to many of the key items that made his room his in the first place. Another he noticed was that was early-_horribly_ early. Last but not least, unless Hanako had gone back in time and grown blonde hair and blue eyes and reincarnated, then this defiantly wasn't his sister.

"Adell, wake up please. Grandma said we'll be leaving soon."

_What time is it? Four or five in the morning? _"I'm kinda tired right now Alouette."Adell muttered sleepily rolling over.

"But I want you to come, please come with us." The blonde child bit her lip lightly, looking pitiful and Adell made the mistake of looking at her.

_I can stay fast in my beliefs_ _and not lose my will. But for one reason I can't say no to a little girl. Just what's wrong with this picture? _"Ugh..." He managed to get out with his head underneath the pillow and the rest of his body hidden beneath the blanket. "..All right just give me a second."

Alouette seemed happy at his answer because it showed with her smile . "Grandma got you some new clothes to. Their in the chair."Before Adell could say anything else(Not that he was) the young girl left closing the door softly behind her.

To his right was a single chair with some clothes on it, he hadn't seem them the other night so it was a easy guess that those were the new garments. Willing his tired and weary body out of bed, he began getting dressed, if not more then a bit slowly. After finishing, he simply looked at himself in a mirror. It was a white/silver in color, and from the looks of it made of some kind of silk, a martial arts uniform of sorts. The thing that set it apart was the Chinese Dragon on the back, a nice touch.

The only thing Adell hadn't taken off was his gloves, but it was for sentimental value of his long dead teacher then anything else. _It's all right. I could get used to it. Actually kind of neat. But why give me something like this..? Some simple clothes sure, but this is a bit much.._

He shook his head, he was thinking about it far to hard. Most likely it was his fault for reading into things far to much. Leaving the room and going downstairs he noticed that the small family seemed to be waiting for him, we'll most had: Bernard was nowhere in sight. Alison was sitting down reading a book while Alouette was busy trying to get as much food into her tiny body as possible.

"Morning. You sure like to sleep in. Sleep all right?"

_If that was sleeping in I'd hate to see what 'waking up early' is. I haven't gotten up like this since my training days. _Adell shook his head. "I slept ok. I don't mind the new clothes and appreciate it but who do they belong to? It doesn't look like anything you or your husband would wear." He then retracted the statement slightly. "I mean it's different." _Damn_._ That sounded bad no matter how you put it.._

The elderly woman seemed truly tickled at his reaction, looking up from her book to look at him. "You look really nice in that, seems to fit you. It was my son's. I had it made for him and even had it magically enchanted; it'll repair itself if its torn and the like. He was a fighter to, but he never wore it." She frowned for a second, and it quickly vanished. "Could you get Bernard? His food is going to get cold and I don't want him damaging his health. I'm sorry for asking you."

"It's no biggy." Adell replied, wanting to make up for his free stay here the other night, this was just a start. When he went outside, he didn't see the old man right away but he was actually just out on the porch sitting in a chair but he was actually smoking. It wasn't his thing but he didn't tell others how they should go about their health life.

"Lookin' snazzy kid." Bernard commented, not seeming to look back even once. "I was wondering when she would give that damned thing away. It's a good pair of clothes, but they have to many memoriesfor her to deal with..."

An short awkward silence came between the two.

"Alison said to come in because your food was getting coldJust be sure to come in soon when your ready." Adell was already on his way to going back inside after saying his piece.

"..Adell. That's your name right? Why not stay here for a minute, I ain't going to bite you, besides male company is nice to."

Stopping right before opening the door, the young man went back over but didn't sit down, not that he could if he wanted to since their was only a single chair which was in use. Bernard didn't say anything for a moment or two, rocking back and forth then taking a small puff of his smoke.

The silence was strangely comfortable. However Adell wanted to have some sort of conversation and he doubted Bernard just wanted him nearby. "It's none of my business but what was that noise last night? It woke me later."

"Me and Alison arguing." Not letting his younger companion say anything he continued, "And no we're not having problems. Words of Adill-"

"It's Adell."

"Same thing." Ignoring the annoyance in his voice he went on, "Relationships aren't like the crap you read about in books or told when you're a little kid. Your told you'll find your 'perfect' partner and live happily ever after. No one's perfect so you have to work with what you can get. Their a lot of work and isn't just sugar but if your partner is worth it, you'll work for it. So many young people get caught up in the perfect partner thing it messes other aspects up."

Blinking once, he was making sure this was the same man from the other night. But that wasn't fair to say, he hadn't known him that long.

"I'm not going to bull shit you, we don't have much time left-me and Alison. We're really to old to be making a run for it, and even if we somehow got out of this hell hole country we wouldn't have to many years left. This is selfish of me and you really have no reason to do it. But if things go wrong and your still around, take Alouette and get out of here, both of you."

"It's a deal." Adell didn't really even hesitate, he hit his right fist into his left palm making a light sound when they connected. "I won't let anything happen to her and I'll get her out of here, you have my word as a martial artist. But you really shouldn't think of the worse, I've learned negative thoughts lead to negative outcomes, but the reverse is true, to."

"I'll keep that in mind kid." Bernard chuckled. "I'm a realist though, and I don't sugar-coat things all the time. People need reality at times, no matter how ugly it is. Tell Alison I'll be their in a minute. Nice talking to you..Adell."

"You to. Don't stay out to long. It's not my place but those cigarettes are bad for your health, Alouette might be upset if she learned what they were." Not turning back, he went inside.

Grunting, Bernard put the item away, stepping on it.

"Is he coming?" Alison asked with out missing a beat once Adell returned, or looking from her book.

"He said he'll be here in a minute. Where are we going exactly?" Taking a seat by the now full Alouette, the youth began to eat. Unlike last night it seems his appetite had returned, and Adell had a healthy one, judging by the way he ate.

A bit amused at his ability to eat quickly but politely at the same time she answered, "Its called Valendris city. The only real city with in decent traveling range that is. The place is run down and its one of the few places the empire goes most of the time. Me and Alouette sell things their and I take her with me, were saving up. But.."

"Something wrong?" The red-head prompted.

"Valendris isn't the most safe city, in fact it can be very dangerous when you least expect it to be. Could you escort me and my grand daughter their? I would be willing to pay you."

He simply shook his head after swallowing his food, she could cook a mean breakfast. "No, its fine. I still owe you for that meal and the free bed. Does this city have anybody that practice in magic?" _If I'm lucky maybe I can find some one who knows about traveling to other worlds, or anything about a Gate Keeper._

"If their any people who know magic, they won't say it openly. Like I said the other day, people who are not the norm get persecuted. This includes people who know how to work the mystical art of magic. To government and the empire, magic is as much of a crime as murder. Be careful if your looking for some one in magic or use it yourself." She folded the book away, "May I ask why the sudden interest?"

"I'm trying to get back home. But back home isn't a place you can reach normally on foot or anything else, you need magic or something similar to it." He pushed his plate up a little as a sign he was full or done. "I'm ready when you two are."

* * *

The trip from the small village to the city was uneventful for the most part, it was just the three of them(Bernard stayed to take care of things at home). They had to travel through a small rocky area and a few wimpy monsters had tried to make a meal out of the three, but Adell sent them home licking their wounds; none bothered them since. Alison had mentioned it was possible to reach the city by going through the forest but it wasn't practical. 

Personally, Adell didn't care to go back. For some reason that forest creeped him out.

_I wonder why she brings Alouette with her if this city is dangerous? Plus didn't she say that this country was paranoid about people with powers? _Speaking of the little girl, she had been staying close to Adell following him like a puppy, some people would have thought it annoying but it was cute in a kid sort of way, he guessed. "We almost their?"

"Look for yourself."

Alison was taking a small break drinking a bit of water, this prevented her from saying anything further. In front of Adell was the vague outlines of structures, tall missed shape buildings but he couldn't make out people just yet. His eyes were much sharper then the two females allowing him to see it clearer. Crossing his arms over his muscled chest, he waited for her to finish breaking before they went any farther.

"I apologize for the wait, and thanks for having so much patience. Youth, when did it start to leave me?" It was a lame joke she knew but it seemed all right with the mood.

"It's not even an issue to me." Adell walked along side her to help her walk, a ghost of a smile briefly appeared on his lips at her comment. He wondered if he would ever become this old himself one day. "I still don't know if there are any of the people I'm looking for inside the city. Besides, I still owe you, or did you forget?"

_If only more people thought that way.. _She mused to herself. Adell was a rather peculiar young man in the respect he seemed adamant on holding his word. Most men his age here, no most _people _here weren't that way at all. "Looks like were here. Just remember some of the things I told you and you'll be fine." It was just a reminder and he most likely didn't forget but it was better safe then sorry, she'd hate to see something bad happen to him.

"This is it huh?"

The city had looked better from a distance.

Now that they were all close enough, the place wasn't the most pleasing on the eyes to put it gently as possible that is. Buildings were cracked on their walls and foundation itself. Trash and other items of all kinds littered the surface, some blowing in the wind and going in piles of junk.

People dressed in what might as well been rags and other sorts of clothing. The air had a distinct but horrible smell, unidentifiable but unique; he didn't know how they could stand it or get used to it. What was worse was the kind of food some of people had been eating, none of it seemed the most healthy to eat or even safe. This was the kind of living the people had to make for themselves? Adell was a bit disgusted at it, but their was nothing he could do about it.

Alison and Alouette suddenly stopped walking as the oldest member of the group retrieved a key and unlocked a door to a small building, a bulky man was sitting their with his arms crossed but he seemed to know the two.

"Allow me." Moving aside for the nameless muscled man, he took her key and began working on the door, turning it and then switching it back. Somehow, this worked. Within seconds the door had opened, revealing of all things a small gift shop. Giving her back the keys he reached into a pocket giving the youngest a lollipop who was eager to receive the sweat snack. "How long are you and the little one staying Mrs. Alison, and who's he?" He said in a surprisingly intelligent tone.

_Heh, I thought the guy was a thug. I know better to judge by looks at this point in my life but old habits die hard._ Deciding he might as well get a the small talk out of the way he spoke,"I'm Adell."

"He brought Alouette back to me, he's fine. We're going to stay only for a short while don't worry." Alison turned to Adell. "You really didn't have escort us back here, you've done enough. Here, for your troubles." She held out a hand, it was the currency of their land but it was also the money they were saving up.

Slightly caught off guard, Adell regained his composure,"I can't take this. You need it more then I do, besides I have money." _Not sure if it will be worth anything here though._

"Very well." Putting the money away she decided for the next best thing, "My friend over here Damien can point you in the right direction of some special people you were looking for." Avoiding using the 'M' word was the best thing for them both. "It was nice meeting you Adell but we won't hold you up anymore. Come on Alouette."

Her grandmother was already inside but the small girl stayed behind looking up at Adell, "Bye Adill. Come back soon." Waving, she took off after her guardian leaving the young man having that stupid warm and fuzzy feeling rise in his chest, despite the fact she had said his name wrong. It was only annoying when adults or older people said it that way, on the flip side it was a kind of thing that could grow on him.

"Mrs. Alison and the little lady seem to like you, so you can't be to bad." Damien studied him with a critical eye, or maybe it was his imagination. "If you want information on..those type of things, then it's best to ask Nero. He sells all kinds of odd things and claims to be from another far off land. But he has information about all kinds of things, he's your best bet."

"Thanks. So, how would I wold I go back finding this Nero, where does he usually hang out?"

"..It depends. He comes here a lot but often times you never know where to find him. Your best chances are asking around, he's a bit famous or even infamous depending on who's side of the fence your on. That's all I can tell you."

"All right, I'll just ask around myself then. Thanks I mean it, you didn't even have to." With that said, he turned his back and began his search through the run down city. Going further into the place he noticed things he hadn't before. People sleeping on benches's or anywhere they were fortunate enough not to sleep on the ground. Shady men and women dressed almost all alike stood close by each other, if he had to guess some local gangs. Some girls in skimpy outfits said things to him he rather not repeat, or made cat whistles to him.

_I might as well have joined the circus, its like everyone is sizing me up for their own reasons..and its probably about right to. I'm not sure who to ask with out starting a fight, some of these guys don't seem the most friendly. _Someone caught his eye, a rather plain-looking woman sitting on the bench, but she was covered up more then the others and she didn't seem nearly as at edge as the others.

"Hey, excuse me."

The woman didn't even turn around or even acknowledged she heard him.

"Excuse me." He tried again, this time rising his voice and making it even more clear.

Finally, she sighed, "I was hoping you would go away. Look, I don't do that type of work anymore if you've heard about so you can just piss off."

_What the..? _A slightly irritated look fell on the red-heads face. "I don't even know what the hell your talking about. I just wanted some information on Nero."

Taking a deep breath the stranger calmed down. "I'm sorry, just not having the best days and I thought you were-never mind. What do you want to know about Nero?"

"Where does he hang out? I don't need his life story or anything." When he was after something or had a goal he was to the point and short for the most part.

"If you want to Find him, you should do it quick."

"Huh? Why?"

"Nero owes some money to Balza's folks. You see, he's the leader of many of the illegal things that go down in this city. I don't know all the details but it went something along the lines of if Nero didn't pay up, they'd dismember him. Not sure the exact location but you might want to try one of the buildings a bit ways of here. They'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"Ok so I just keep going until I find some buildings that look out of place? Got it." He turned around but stopped. "How did you know I wasn't around here? Otherwise you'd probably wouldn't have gave me information that's common knowledge here."

"That cute but naive expression on your face."

"..Thanks I think." The words were muttered under his breath. _Now that I know or at least have an idea where to go, I better hustle. Hopefully they haven't killed him he might be my only chance out of here if any. _Putting more pace into his walk he hurriedly went at a more brisker pace trying to find anything that would stick out like the woman said. _Finally._

She had been right about one thing, the building really did stick out like a sore thumb.

It was unique from the other buildings and could almost be described as a palace if anything just not nearly as big. The structure was actually in good shape compared to the rest of the cities health. Adell noticed two people in full body armor guarding the entrance.

"What do you want kid? Scram. Balza ain't taking anymore apprentices and if you're here for one of our girls were closed down today to losers." One of them barked roughly.

"I'm here to see Nero." Adell's tone was final.

The guards looked at one another before cracking up before sombering. "You want to see that waste of flesh that badly huh? Fine. I guess we can let you through. A small warning, were not responsible if you get wounded or lose your life in their. This place is for the toughest people around, a pretty boy like won't last a second inside."

They gave one final thought about the idea before they moved aside and allowed Adell to enter. The only thing was, on entering, he really wished he could go back. Dozens of men and women were scattered about in what looked to be a large bar, only it had doors leading to various places through out the complex. Top-heavy maidens sat near rough-looking men, some had scars or other physical deformities, but it didn't repulse the girls. From the looks of it, the more you were messed up, the more attention you got.

No one really payed Adell any attention with more then a glance for the most part.

_Ok. I need to be a bit careful on who I ask about Nero, but it not be needed. _Seeing a man drinking by himself, he decided to try to asking him. "Hey, you got a minute?" No verbal response came from him instead he turned his head to look at him. "I was just wondering if you know where this Nero person is?"

"..You want to know about Nero..?" He repeated, his voice slightly slurred together. "He's gonna get it cut. Sneaky bastard been messing around to much for his own good. Their gonna slice em' real good. Should be in one of those torture rooms upstairs."

That was all Adell needed to hear.

With out saying even a thank you he rushed off up the stairs, but not to fast to where people would stare at him but just quick enough. Much to his frustration, he was finding the place to be infinitely more complicated on the inside then what the outside would suggest. Going upstairs wasn't the problem. The problem was now that he was on the top their were literally countless rooms and each one he passed could be one. On the other hand he _didn't _want to take risk of bumping into anything, like someone getting dressed.

_I don't even know if he's the only one in trouble up here or the exact room. Damn it. Haven't I learned my lessons from just rushing into things..?_

"Hey c'mon guys. I'll get the money, it's just things are taking a bit longer then expected."

"You had your chance."

"H-hey don't hit the face it's fragile and can't afford to get it wrecked unlike yours. Wait, I didn't mean that. I just meant my face is more attractive then yours, that came out wrong.."

Some voices were heard as well as some other sounds of struggling. It might be who he was looking for or it might not. _Don't hesitate, never hesitate. _He repeated that phrase in his head a few times before he went through with it. Knocking down the door where the noise was from, he was greeted by an interesting sight.

A man in a trench coat with brown hair and black eyes, ironically sporting a black eye was being held by the collar of his shirt but a brutish man. The room was small with all kinds of weapons and other things he guessed must have been used for torture. He dropped the much skinnier man facing Adell.

"Who the hell are you? You better not be one of Nero's friends."

_Perfect. Dumb luck but still. _"Actually.." The fist fighter started. "I don't even know him, but I need to ask him some things."

"To bad. I'm going to show you the door." Not giving Adell a chance he rushed forward and nailed him with a right hook straight to the face with a smirk.

The smirk turned to fear, it didn't do anything but make his head go back a few feet.

"Y-you can have him. I'm out of here." Pushing past Adell he rushed out the door with a deer in head lights look on him.

"Tch. All talk. You ok?" He helped up the man he assumed to be Nero up offering a hand.

"Thanks I owe you. That ogre was about to do me in. I'm Nero the traveling merchant, I can sell you any item, weapon or even information..for a price. But seeing as you did keep him from bashing my face into my brains then it's on the house."

One thing he didn't notice before was the strange hat he wore, but Adell wasn't going to question his sense of fashion any how. "Name's Adell. Is their a place we can talk a bit more private? Some of the information I'm asking about could get us both into trouble from what I've heard."

"Adill huh?"

"Adell." He corrected for the second time in the same day. It was a simple name.

"I came close enough. But your right, this place does seem rather dreary." Nero said in a cheerful voice despite the fact he could have gotten tortured to death moments ago. One might question his mental health. He lead him to a wall and pressed a certain part of it which opened to another small room with a bed, the secret door slammed back shut once they went through it.

"You're a demon right? Never thought I'd see another demon here, we'll one that was sentient and not obsessed with blowing things up. They make more poor company, especially if you want a nice conversation with them." He took off his hat revealing slightly pointed ears, a sign of his demon heritage.

"No I'm human, but it wouldn't be the first time someone has mistaken me for a demon. I was wondering if you knew anything about a Gate Keeper. I mean you got here somehow right?"

The demon laughed nervously rubbing the back of his head. "Funny story actually. I take a Gate Keeper here but to get out my girlfriend usually takes me back. She's a Succubus, so all that magic stuff she knows about, just haven't been able to find her."

_I knew it was to good to be true. _Adell sighed. "Thanks anyway. Slightly off the subject by why are you selling stuff here? I mean, these empire guys have grudges against people that can heal. And you're a demon so why did you let that guy beat you up?"

"Are you kidding me? Business is booming in this world, I've never had this much good customers in a long time." He snorted at the other comment. "I have you know, just because someone is a demon doesn't mean their really strong or can fight. It's an old stereotype, my girlfriend fights, I just kinda avoid it by running the opposite direction."

Adell thought that true, it was a stereotype for demons to be strong and skilled warriors, after all he had met Axel.

"Anyway I owe you, and I should be going before they come after me for my head on the platter." Nero walked over and handed Adell a very tiny bag. "Fairy dust. Just share it with someone special. You sure you don't want a weapon, a sword, spear-anything? How about guns? Not easy to get a hold of but I managed to get both models from far off places in this little rock and other Netherworlds to. The last guy with shade fetish bought my good pistols though."

Adell accepted the item not wanting to be rude and it was out of thanks. "No thanks. I fight with my body. Hey listen, is their any other way to leave this place? I'm trying to get home, specifically back to a world called Veldime."

"Their's a rumor that eon's ago their was a group of people that practiced the art of being a Gate Keeper. They all got wiped out during the witch hunting years though." Nero finished with a careless shrug. "Oh well. Guess were both stuck here."

Exasperated, it looked like he was going to say something else when he noticed commotion outside of the window. His sharp eyes could make out people fighting, and not just a group, it seemed the _whole _city was in a brawl with not themselves but people in armor, if he had to guess the empire. He didn't know what had started it but obviously a full-scale riot was going on in the streets. Then a thought clicked to him. Alouette and Alison could get hurt in the cross fire..

"We'll have to talk later." He didn't have time and frankly he didn't care, his fist suddenly smashed through the window before jumping out and landing in the alley. Nero hurriedly followed or would have until he saw how far the fall was.

"I'll just take the stairs." Nero decided a potential death was better then an absolute one that he would have if he took the same drop Adell did.

* * *

"You have to help us!" 

"You're the only the one with the skill."

Croix was wondering if being bothered by villagers begging for help or more like nagging was apart of his atonement. Don't get him wrong, he did have a certain sense of satisfaction when he saved people from demons or other creatures. It was a bit of a let down however when people took his help for granted or were ungrateful. This was just among the many things that got under the hunters skin.

But like many things in life, one eventually got used to them.

"All right. Just tell me a bit more about the demon and it's lair and I'll handle the rest." Business as usual in this case, nothing he hadn't seen or handled before. Most likely just a small fry demon preying on villagers, nothing to big. Finding the village he was supposed to help wasn't easy, the priest map didn't help at all.(Croix wondered if he was illiterate, some of the things made no sense at all)

Fortunately he found the settlement, now it was a matter of gathering as much information as he could before making his move. On the negative side of things, most of the people for lack of another term seemed a bit behind the times about certain things. Not that it mattered in this country, everyone would fit perfectly in place in this kind of environment. He just wanted to leave this place quickly, it reminded him to much of..

"Sir Croix?" The village leader repeated for the second time, it didn't seem their Demon Hunter savior was all their at the moment.

"Yea, sorry." He replied quickly, getting side-tracked now wasn't a good idea. "Continue on."

Looking at him for a moment strangely, moments later it went on like nothing happened, "We built this village some years ago and we enjoyed our peace for a time. Then, recently, that changed. One of our people discovered a demon or witch living far off, we thought nothing of it until our crops started dying. That devil was the cause of it! To make things worse, it has a child. We sent some warriors to deal with the spawn and the mother, but they all failed for some reason she didn't actually kill any of them but we know it's a trick."

_Something's about this story doesn't fit. _"Thanks for the story, do you know where the lair is located at?" Croix knew their was more to it, call it a hunch or years of things not being exactly what they seemed to be.

"To the north, people say the foul creatures live in a small cabin. Be careful sir Croix, even though your skilled this thing is tricky."

"So you've told me. I'll be back soon." It was a bit cold, but honestly he didn't feel comfortable around these people and preferred keeping them at an arms length. Let them stick their fangs into someone else as long as that person wasn't him. Checking his fire arms, he began walking towards the north.

Nothing. Moving through the forest he noticed the unnatural silence. Being a wanderer, he was used to certain sounds of the forest. No birds chirping, their was no noise of bulky bodies of predators stalking him or other prey, even the silence didn't seem normal. But despite the fact the forest seemed devoid of any and all life, he felt like he was being watched.

He didn't like it at all.

_If I keep going this way I should bump into it soon, if they know what their talking about that is. I wonder- _Croix never did finish his train of thought as a blur darted across the ground towards him. Reacting, not thinking he instantly removed one of his pistols and fired. Only to have what ever it was move out the way. Unlike a normal person though, his eyes could follow things an average man couldn't and his reflexes helped a great deal as well.

The 'blur' actually turned out to be female with purple hair and red eyes, in what he guessed was some sort of Ninja Gi. Not that he had much time to ponder much. Croix wasn't nearly as adept in hand to hand like Father Salade, so engaging up close wasn't the best idea. Instead he fired in quick succession, just enough to keep the female moving and forcing her to back off. Unfortunately, he was learning she was deadly from far away as she was up close.

Star-shaped throwing knives were thrown in his direction, each throw had roughly the speed of a bullet. Croix showed his almost super human marksmanship by shooting all of the projectiles out of the air with frightening accuracy. On the other hand, she was using the same weapons to stop the bullets from striking a disabling blow, Croix wasn't really trying to kill her. Soon the two began using the forest tree's as cover, trying to get a hit one another though none of them were able to gain the upper hand on one another. It was deadly but beautiful dance, with the loser getting wounded or killed.

**Click.**

_Shit. _The gun was out of ammo. Both of them. He didn't have time to reload either, his speedy opponent was already closing the distance between them. His only shot was the old worn dagger he used to clean fish with. Croix couldn't claim to be a good dagger or sword wielder but if he was lucky..

The Ninja suddenly stopped and clutched her sides, breathing heavily and falling to her knees.

_Ok, now that was unexpected. _Cautiously he slowly went closer to his downed opponent, reloading his weapon just in case it was some clever trick. He saw blood that was becoming visible, and she seemed to freak out about it. If he wanted he could have just went on his way and ignored her. But he couldn't, despite the fact she had attacked him moments ago he wasn't that heartless. _Helping a person that tried to kill me moments ago. I've defiantly been hanging around Prier to long. _

"Let me help you." As expected the woman glared at him, but it wasn't really intense like he had expected, in fact come to think of it she seemed kind of scared. But it wasn't him he knew, other wise she wouldn't have attacked. Sighing he tried again, "If you don't get that looked out you'll bleed to death. You don't have reason to trust me, but remember you attacked me first."

"..All right." That seemed to do the trick. Croix still was ready for a surprise attack, just because he had chosen to help didn't mean he would fall for a trap. If he suspected any tricks he wouldn't hesitate to handle the situation. She seemed to be bandaged around her stomach, must have been a previous battle wound.

Taking some of his meager bandages he always had 'just in case' he handed them to his former opponent-though that might change. With some difficulty she managed to reapply the wrapping around her but the blood seemed to make her ill. Shakily she stood on both legs looking at Croix with an unreadable expression.

"Your really not from the village or the empire."

Croix snorted, putting his left over bandages away(those things came in handy, now he knew why he kept extra.) "No. Let's just say we don't see eye to eye. Probably the only reason they haven't tried to kill me yet is they tolerate me for my Demon hunting skills, sorry for opening your wound again." It was easy to guess the stranger wasn't human, no normal human could get back up with a injury like that, not to mention fight like that when still hurt. "I'm looking for a cabin to the north."

"Why do you want to go their?" She asked warily, eyes turning to little slits.

He sighed. "I was hired by someone who said a demon was terrorizing a village. But as I got more and more information I knew something was funny about it. You live around here right? Why don't you tell me what's going on? And why did you attack me?" Not expecting an answer to his last question but he had to try.

"It's not like that at all." Once his attention was drawn on her she finished, "Their's a mom and a child that live their. Yes their demons but they didn't do anything, they even lived here before those people came. I was hungry and they fed me gave me a roof over my head, so I protected them when the attacks began."

A single eyebrow was raised. "Small question; you're a demon correct? I've seen you fight even when wounded so I can imagine when your not. How did a bunch village human warriors do this to you?"

"Who said they did? It's a little known fact that they have powerful soldiers, not human or anything else I'm familiar with though. Anyway, another demon who's a glutton has been sucking the resources of this place dry, he has the mothers child hostage as bargaining chip. He's to strong for me to take alone."

_Hmm, this might work. It's not like the priest actually knows what the demon looks like. I can help out and get him off my back at the same time. It's a win, win situation. But first, I have to see if she'll even take me. _"Funny, that doesn't sound like the villagers version of the tale two sides of every story after all. My name is Croix, if you trust me enough I can help you get rid of this demon. It will help both of us, what says you? We have a truce for at least for now?"

"Deal. But if you attack me again.." She warned letting it hang in the air. "Just call me Kinta."

Croix nodded. "Like wise. We have a deal then." He made sure both his guns were fully reloaded and he was carrying various kinds of ammo, from elemental rounds to something called 'Air Bullets' he didn't know what they did but the person he brought them from said they were good. "Lets get to work."

His new companion wasn't really talkative, she only said things that needed to be brought up or she really had something to say. Small talk didn't seem to be her thing. Which was fine with Croix, he wasn't the one for a lot of small talk anyway. In the years he had gotten better but he would never be able to stay at a party and talk about virtually nothing. Kinta had told him the demon was impervious to most physical damage, but he hoped some of his elemental rounds would do the trick.

"Is that it?" Croix indicated in front of him, something was in the distance but he couldn't make it from this far. It was really the only thing he really said during the entire trip, keeping your mouth shut around strangers was a thing that kept him out of trouble since he came to this place.

"Hang on." The female demon jumped onto a branch, then another until she disappeared out of Croix line of vision. Time seemed to go by slowly but in reality only ten minutes had really passed before she came back landing on the ground once getting on a low enough part of the tree. "No mistaken it. That's his hide out. I saw a some of the villagers children, and I _know _what he's going to do them. We have to hurry."

Kinta didn't even wait for a verbal reply but instead began moving but made sure she was in sight of Croix at all times so he wouldn't have trouble following her. He hadn't seen to many people move that way, but then he never had much interest in acrobatics. Strangely, she dropped down silently on his side with out even making the leaves rustle, he wasn't even going to question the logical explanation of how that was even possible.

In front of the two was a camp, a nightmarish one. They couldn't see everything even from the cliff but they could see children inside, the rest was surrounded by concrete walls. Obviously, this place was the base of operations for the demon. He had his share of lackey's from the look of things, they stood watch in a tower, four total located on each side of the camp for intruders.

Croix already calculated and formulated a plan. "Ok, I'm going to-" He cut himself off as his partner hissed.

"That's Ajari! Their going to feed him to that fat pig." Not really thinking with her head, she seemed to forget about her wounds and became a blur and she went towards the camp.

"..To pick the people off in the towers from a distance." Croix finished muttering, why did people have to be so impulsive? He could understand but even so. Taking out one of his pistols he took careful aim before firing.

Bang.

The first one held it's throat before falling over in a boneless heap onto the ground. Croix wasn't going to let them catch on, so he aimed again and fired three more shots. All three bullets hit their mark, taking out the remaining ones. Putting his weapon away temporarily, he hurriedly followed after Kinta hoping she didn't get into to much trouble. The good thing was the encampment didn't have an official door. This allowed Croix to enter with out breaking it down himself, but he stayed close to the wall at first, poking his head out in case any enemies tried to be sly. None came. So he took his chances and went inside but was still on his toes, he almost tripped over a body of the creature he had taken out. It was vaguely humanoid but looked like a lizard, he wasn't sure if it was a demon or some other creature.

Now he knew what had caused the Ninja to rush in so fool heartedly, in the middle was the biggest pot he had ever seen filled with boiling water. A fire was going around it and above it were kids tied up over it, Croix didn't want to think of what would have happened to them. Kinta was getting them all down, just using her demonic strength or those nasty throwing knives to cut through the ropes.

"Looks like we have the majority under control." Croix commented lightly, coming closer once all the children were down. Just as the words had left his mouth, he suddenly dived one of the kids, knocking them down but also saving him from an arrow going through his heart. _Spoke to far to soon. _He returned the favor by shooting in the general direction where the shot had come from, he was awarded by a body dropping though he couldn't see who or what it was.

The situation could get potentially worse, so they told the kids to leave quickly before anything else showed up. Their thinking saved them but they weren't out of the woods just yet. The ground began to shake as something big waddled its way towards the place. Croix looked irritated and Kinta looked tense. _Great. What now?_

Not even going through the other part of the camp, a wall broke in half as a large creature revealed itself. It was abnormally tall and had somewhat humanoid face, it's main body was like a centipedes, with small legs that somehow supported the bulk of the monsters weight. "What have you done?!" It shrieked. "All my hard work for my gourmet meal is ruined. I'll just have to kill you then."

"You can try." Croix said cooly.

It didn't wait and actually leaped over them, for a thing of it's weight it could really move. A feeble almost clumsy attempt, but their opponent tried to grab them, which both easily avoided out of the way. Croix fired rounds into the thing, but it didn't do anything. Like wise, Kinta's attacks did nothing but tickle it.

_I want to end this quick. Their has to be some way. _Croix continued to think as he fought with the thing, it's attention was a lot more on Kinta so he could have a lot more breathing room. By the pot, it looked like some normal boxes but he knew what they were. _Bingo._

A moment later, the disgusting creature opened it's mouth, which turned far larger then it should have been. But after, literally everything began to get sucked into it's mouth like a wind vacuum. The Ninja struggled not to get sucked inside, tents and the like already went into the endless void that was the things mouth. Croix knew it was now or never, so he kicked the box over closer where everything was being sucked up, causing it to swallow it with out noticing.

"What-" The sentence was cut off as it exploded in a not-so-pleasant display, green liquid splattered on Croix's shades, he didn't seem to happy about that. Kinta had freaked out slightly once she realized that 'green stuff' was actually blood. A lone claw fell onto the ground by the Demon Hunter, it was big enough not to be mistaken for any known monster, it would work.

_Here's my proof I 'killed' the demon. _Putting the thing away he wiped his shades with an extra napkin, turning on his heel. "Were done here. Thanks for your help." _Now I just have to convince them that I killed the demon. _Croix could feel a slight head ache coming on, it was already a long day and it was going to get longer. _I hope they have decent wine here, I need a drink now._

* * *

Authors Notes: Yes I know, a bit long but I was in 'the zone' as I call it when I wrote it. Originally I was going to write more(which is why it kind of leaves off at a odd point) but I figured it was enough and I'd save the rest for another chapter. I was thinking of doing a first person POV every once in a while which would tell events from a characters perspective. It would just be a single chapter dedicated to that and it wouldn't be super long. Anyway, I hope you guys didn't fall asleep on me during the long chapter ;;. Not much else to say, R&R and remember C&C is good for the soul to. 


	5. The Realm Of Twilight:Part One

**Authors Notes: **Hmm, not much to say this time around(ironically) To my reviewer, its all right I didn't even think much about it to tell you the truth. Just a little FYI, the first part is actually from a character from La Pucelle point of view.(It's not an original character) Same with a female character briefly introduced in this chapter. Who ever guess who it is before any direct clues further along this chapter gets a cookie. We'll, a virtual one but close enough.

* * *

Pain. That was the only thing that existed, the only feeling he could still feel. It consumed his body and his mind, their was no thinking, only escape. His mental defenses had crumbled long ago, he lost track of time, because time itself had no meaning anymore. He had been in a cell, but it wasn't anything he was used to. Their were so many strange beings and things he didn't recognize, important things, meaningless things. They were all the same now, all alike.

His jailers persecuted him, teased him with thoughts of freedom he would never again have, things he would never see again or taste. They would spit and do horrible things to him, actions that made him paranoid and caused him to hate and distrust. He wasn't alone, others were in cells, having the same punishment, the same treatment. All of them were segregated and all of them were completely and utterly..

..Alone...

Completely alone. They could not comfort each other, because they couldn't even comfort themselves anymore. When he was first thrown into his cell and introduced to this life, he had been like the rest: prideful and stubborn. They wouldn't break him, he would be the same man he was. He thought he would be strong enough to deal with it, but he had been too weak, just like the rest.

Soon, he didn't care anymore. His captors would torture him, accusing him of things he may have done and some things he hadn't done. If he disagreed with the false accusations, they would punish him, slowly and gleefully. Just like his other cell mates he had submitted to them, he began telling them things, agreeing with them-anything to get them to stop the torment.

They didn't.

Often, he would find himself alone in his cell, having passed out from the pain. The scars would heal, but the emotional ones would always be their, a permanent mark of his time here. His captors had won, no matter if he somehow he escaped, the mental wounds would still always be their in one form or another. He wanted to die, but he couldn't, it was impossible now.

Lately, the guards seemed nervous, or anxious perhaps? They were less enthusiastic about their daily torment of the cell mates, even himself who for some reason seemed to be their favorite. Red Moon. The guards and inmates mentioned it. He didn't know what it was, but somehow he could vaguely recall the name in the deep recess of his mind. But every once in a while, his fellow caged men and women would sing a song about it. It was always beautiful but haunting at the same time.

This life was lonely and empty. Between the torture time, it went by at an agonizing slow pace, the songs helped pass the time he supposed.

But, time had no meaning for those who had nothing to look forward to.

Even his identity had been taken from him. All he could remember was his name, and other fuzzy images that didn't make sense. One that stuck out was a raven-haired woman and a little boy, that oddly enough looked like a younger version of him. Was the woman his sister, an aunt, maybe his mother? Another memory was the same woman in a pile of her own life blood, angry accusing faces of villagers both men and women, twisted in rage and hatred had stood over her.

Then, he heard voices. Some were familiar, others he didn't and couldn't know. The voices were sometimes of the people who he hated, grinning and mocking in their tone. Another was soft and gentle, female, one that he knew somewhere and one that made him feel safe. Did it belong to the woman he saw in his dreams, the one with the younger version of himself?

He had little to no energy, but even so he tried to move a bit, as much as the chains attached to his feet would allow anyway. If he was already caged like an animal, why take away his freedom even more? His captors cruelty was appalling, perhaps he had done something in his past he couldn't remember to bring him here. But what about the others? Were their crimes so horrible that this kind of living, this kind of life was just?

Logically, it made sense, if only that word applied to this hellish place. It was uneasily quite, no guards passing back and forth, none of their idol chatter, no prisoners saying things that made no sense in their insanity that had taken even the strongest mentally. No guards silencing them, no screams of pain. Their wasn't even the usual distant painful cry of mercy.

It was odd to him. So long had the sounds of this place he had steadily gotten used to, that not hearing them made him cautious. Was it a new game? Possible. They liked playing mind games, it was to pass boredom and get a sick sense of enjoyment. His black bangs got into the way of his eyes, he could hear the distinct sound of water hitting the ground. _Tap. Tap._

After a while it was became annoying. And after a while, it hurt, soon after it started to drive him insane. No, not insane, maybe he already was. If he could get some sleep, perhaps he could escape this living nightmare if only for a minute. Going into the corner of his cell, he curled up slightly and reluctantly allowed his body to relax.

Dreams, and nightmares all the same followed him afterwards.

* * *

His body _felt _different. Less heavy. He was scared to open his eyes, scared he wound find himself in the same place or back in the back rooms for another session. Slowly he opened his eyes and was truly surprised.

This place wasn't the prison, quite the opposite.

None of the ugly life-less grey walls he was used to, instead they were a warm more normal white color. Instead of his jail cell he found himself in a room, a strangers room in a bed. He was far to tired to get up and see what was going on, he wasn't sure he even wanted to anymore. The blanket over his body was warm and gentle like a mothers hug, unlike the cold floor he was used to now.

Besides the bed, their really wasn't much in the room. Odd. If he had to guess he was in a room that didn't see much use so little details were left out. The bed and the sudden change in environment made him confused and lost. He remembered falling asleep but then how did he find himself in this place? Somehow, he knew this wasn't a dream.

His head snapped up when he heard the previously closed door slowly open. A young red-headed woman in a casual dress came in, carrying a tray. "I was wondering when you would wake up. Your very lucky, a friend found you." The woman said with a warm smile, setting the tray down by the nearby night stand; pretty much the only thing in the room besides the bed.

_She looks like someone I knew? It's those eyes.. _The nameless woman didn't lose her patience by his lack of talking, in fact it didn't look like it had bothered her at all.

Her eyes scanned the stranger for the moment. "I hope you don't mind, we had to give you some new clothes. The old ones..their beyond repair." Like before she got no response from her still recovering patient. "I need to check up on some of those scars. But here, drink this." She got a single cup from the tray and tried to get him to drink it.

"No!" On reflex, he slapped the cup away causing it to break on the hard ground. It was another trick, he should have known. They always made him drink things that made him want to die, he was in the prison again, it was just another ploy.

With the patience of a saint, she backed up slightly. "Then, just allow me to remove that on you." She indicated towards his chest, though he had no idea what it was she was referring to exactly. No receiving a direct yes or no she took the initiative, her right hand glowing white. "I'm going to heal it and get it out okay?" She tried to soothe.

It didn't work.

Pure terror and hate coursed through his entire body, his mind-set reverting back to survival mode where he did anything to escape the pain. That glow looked similar to all the other tricks that caused him pain, he wasn't going to fall for it. When she got close enough, he slashed slightly at her with his hand, it nicked the skin of her cheek causing her to bleed lightly. Even so she didn't stop trying to help him.

The process took only a moment, but even though she was done and had stopped, he was trying to get free, forcing his body to get up. He ignored the pain that exploded through his entire body as he forced it to try to rise from bed.

"Stop! Your going to hurt yourself!" It was the only time the woman's voice had raised but it still held concern for him.

Ignoring her protest he felt himself slip into one of acts of self-defense, when he would lash out as his tormentors, his vision blurred in a red haze. The woman was another one of the guards, they were just disguised. Suddenly, the woman's kind features melted away, instead replaced by those mocking ones of the guards. An almost animal-like snarl came from his throat, he would wipe the look from their face. With strength he didn't know he still possessed, he closed the distance, holding her by throat and slamming her against the wall.

"..I was just...trying..to..help." She managed to wheeze out as she felt her lungs began to burn from the lack of air.

Suddenly, another man came in and he felt himself this time slammed hard against the wall, with one hand no less. He had black hair and pointed ears, he seemed angry. "Calm down. No one is trying to hurt you. You aren't in the prison anymore. Control yourself." Somehow, the other man's words got through to him and he ceased struggling. Something about the stranger demanded respect, he carried a noble aura, one he could hide or show at will when he wanted.

Not to mention he could feel a _large _amount of power. He could have easily have crushed him like an insect.

"Now. Are you calm?" Receiving a nod, he gently let him go putting him back on the bed, the anger was gone like it had never been their. "I suggest you apologize, to this young lady. If she hadn't removed that Tracer in your blood by healing, it would have caused you a lot of grief. To say the least."

Tracer? He heard of those. Little parasites that lived in your skin, unnatural things. The guards controlled them somehow, if you escaped they could always get the things to eat your flesh from the inside out, a horrible end. You could only have them removed by a genuine healer, but even after you would feel your emotions out of wack.

He suddenly felt a emotion he thought was long gone, shame. She had only been trying to help and he repaid her by going into one of his fits thinking she was an guard. "..I'm sorry." He was surprised, not on what he said but at the sound of his voice. It had been far to long since he had heard it normally.

"It's all right." The woman smiled again, the fact she didn't seem mad made him feel even worse and he found himself unable to look at her. She sat down on the bed, getting what looked to be bandages. "May I?" This time she got the nod and got to work, tenderly applying him to his hands which looked they had been burned or worse.

He suddenly recalled a memory, the same raven-haired woman and him, she was tending to him just like the woman was now. A deep wave of sadness over came him and he couldn't suppress it as he would have liked to. Like a dam, all of it came out at once. He felt tears come down and his body shook lightly as if he was laughing, but it was the opposite.

"Shh, its ok." She surprised him by hugging him to comfort him while he was feeling the moment of weakness. The man stood in the corner saying nothing at the moment but just watching the two. Eventually he calmed down and felt more then a bit embarrassed about the out break, it made no sense, he hadn't ever done that before. He was grateful when the hug was over with, but he soon found sleep calling him and soon he eventually gave into the feeling.

"You can call me Angelique." The red-headed woman said as her guest began falling asleep.

"Noir. My name is Noir.." He repeated the name, almost as if saying it for the first time before he went to sleep completely.

"It's worse then I thought." The man in the corners features looked thoughtful as he walked from his spot standing over by the bed."He's lucky to be able to act even somewhat normal, or even able to recall his name. It's possible to nurse him back mentally to at least half what he once used to be as a person, but its no easy task. Are you sure you want to help?"

Angelique clasped her hands together close to her heart as in prayer. "..So much pain and darkness in his heart. When I heal people, sometimes I can feel strong emotions or see flashes of their memories. I saw horrible things Adonis. It reminds me of someone I knew. Yes, I will help him, if he lets me."

"I see." The former Over Lord said simply. "If that's how you feel I will do what I can to help you, but remember because of our actions we will most likely end up in trouble for this." He then chuckled softly. "But at the rate things are going it doesn't matter. Are you going to stay?" No audible reply, she just stood their watching Noir.

Knowing an exit when he saw one, he left closing the door behind him. He had grown quite protective of Angelique, almost like a daughter he never had the chance to have, but he always wanted one. Still, for reasons unknown he didn't think she was any danger anymore with the Noir character, other wise he would have stayed behind.

King Krichevskoy sat down on the couch thinking of what his next move was. His weapon of choice the spear was leaning up right in the corner. It wasn't an normal spear either, it was the legendary Longinus, a famed weapon. Not only was it powerful but it was sentient as well with a personality of its own.

"Do you think your friend Lamington is up to the task?"

"If I didn't think so I wouldn't have asked. Trust my judgement Longinus, you have known us both long enough to know." Was Adonis only reply.

Longinus said nothing afterwards their was nothing to be said.

Not getting more conversation from his friend/weapon he closed his eyes and tried to relax, since he knew that the peace wouldn't last long. It was nerve wracking, their were to many wild cards and elements that could change on a whim. Being needed again, of course made him happy but he had been free from responsibility so long he had forgotten what the pressure was like.

Some years had passed since he had gotten this new body and went under a new name. It seemed like a long time, even for a demon. Normally, one would either go to Heaven or Hell, in other cases reincarnate into a new form. He had gotten lucky, usually when a person reincarnated they lost all their former memories but he didn't. That was something he pondered about, it didn't make sense and their was a reason for it he knew.

Then, their was an even more rare case. A realm exist between the living and the dead, but it was neither, most people called it the Twilight Realm. It was also a neutral ground for the Gods, since they have no real power over this place. Most people that ended up here were rebels that had a grudge against the Higher Powers, others were simple fugitives that managed to escape the Underworld. But some choose to live here by choice for their own reasons, and some managed to end up here by chance.

It was all fascinating and complex, he wished Lamington was here to discuss it with him. Longinus was many things, a good weapon, friend, and a someone to talk to. But speaking about the complexities of the different aspects of the universe was not one of his strong points. Before he had come here he had thought if their was an After Life it was cut and dry, no in between.

But, he was to smart to believe in absolutes completely. Wasn't that why he and his friend didn't believe in absolute good or evil? Was their really such a thing s good and evil, or were they simply a concept sentient beings made when civilization began?

He shook his head, it wouldn't do to get into deep philosophy discussion with himself right now. Stumbling onto this place had been on chance alone, when the Red Moon had first started to act strangely. He still could remember the first time he entered this plane, and the first time he met Angelique as well..

* * *

Nothing gave him the clues he needed, it was frustrating. He had looked through the old libraries and asked around, but nothing or no one seemed to know what was going on. The Red Moon was becoming quite the enigma, if only their was some answer he had over looked. It didn't help his mood moving through a sewer like another rat.

He was at a lost of where to go, so he choose to visit garden in his castle. No, his son's castle now it was no longer his. Because of the way he acted to throw people off from finding out his true self, the current Over Lord Laharl and himself weren't exactly on 'friendly' terms. It was one sided only due King Krich(for short) having no malice towards his son, quite the opposite. Unfortunately, he couldn't say same for Laharl who had his mind made up already about him.

Going in the normal way would be stupid, lucky for him he knew the castle like the back of his hand and their were many hidden passages, doors and the like to get from one place to the another. It was why he was moving through a sewer in the first place as much as he hated degrading himself to sneaking around like this, it had to be done.

The other drawback(besides the smell) was getting lost. The demons that built this castle weren't completely reckless with their hidden entrances and exits, their were traps among other things to throw would be intruders off. After all, not to many were strong enough or stupid enough to invade a an demon Over Lords domain straight toe to toe.

Carefully he retrieved a small pebble from his pocket and tossed it some feet in front of him in an area that seemed completely normal.

Only to have said area's walls get spikes before slamming on where he would have been.

Cute. To bad he knew about every other trap or trick this castle had, in fact he remembered doing this in his youth out of boredom, figuring out all the traps. It was for normal teenagers dangerous, but he was not only an demon but had been the next Over Lord in line then. He had to 'suck it up' even if he had spikes protruding from his body because of his stupidity of making mistakes with a trap, but that was another story for another day.

Continuing on his way, he noticed at last the opening-the exit from this danmed sewer. Not wanting to be heard in case someone was already their, he carefully climbed up the ladder gently removing the hatch, placing it on his side. He poked his head out and saw nothing but flowers and other plants, it was in good shape strangely demons took care of their environment, a lot more then the humans on earth anyway.

So far no signs of anyway so he got himself completely out, putting the hatch back but making sure it wasn't noticeable that someone had entered going that way. Not to many demons were gardeners but that didn't mean he wouldn't have to be careful. With that out of the way he headed deeper into the garden into a small closed off area, fences made out of bushes made it like an maze.

He stopped moving once he got in front of an empty space that once held a tree, this is what he looked for every time he came here recently. To people looking it looked odd because he was just standing their, seemingly for no reason. An outline of a woman appeared in front of him, but it was obvious she wasn't living, her features were far to pale and you could see right through her body which was transparent. Her eyes seemed sad, like she knew something others didn't.

"Why did you come back?"

Krich wanted to say so many things to her, but he didn't have the time neither did she. They both had things they needed to do. Ironic that he would see her again only not being able to touch her or even really talk to her to long. Fate was an unpredictable and cruel thing that never went as you would like. "It's the Red Moon. Why is it acting so strangely?"

A heavy sigh came from the woman's lips. "Listen carefully, I may get in trouble for this but I think you deserve to know. The After Life is divided, its in the middle of a civil war of sorts. Someone is taking advantage of this, who I don't know but from I hear it's a rogue deity but that's all I know." She looked at the sky, their was no visible moon that night. "Around this universe, things that normally aren't possible are occurring because of strife between the Gods. Such as why I am able to communicate with you like this."

"I see." If the situation didn't sound so severe his natural curiosity would have caused him to ask many more questions, a trait that caused him no end of trouble at times. This time however he knew wasn't the time. "Do you know what's the cause of this conflict?"

She lightly shook her head. "Not for certain. Tell me, do you know the legend of the Maiden of Light from another world?"

"Bits and pieces, yes. Why?"

"One of the strongest of them on known was a woman named Alouette. She died..but something went wrong and now she's reincarnated as a little girl with no memories of her past. Normally this isn't a problem but.." Taking a breath as if she still needed to breath she stopped for a second. "But it wasn't done the normal way. For one reason or another. I'm sorry I don't know anymore. Maybe if you talked to the Reaper that takes the Prinnies to their next life can you find more-I have to go I'm sorry." Her form disappeared as quickly as it came.

It was startling how she had cut herself off like that, from her tone of voice she actually sounded scared. The question was, scared of what?

"Why couldn't you bring one of my vassals instead of dragging me along to this crappy place?"

"Laharl! Its not bad, you'll like it I promise. My favorite place in Celestia was the garden, it was popular back at home."

"In case you forgot, our fun is a bit different."

The voices of Prince Laharl and his fallen Angel friend Flonne were heard, he knew he had to be careful not to get caught unless he wanted to fight against him again. It wasn't that he was scared of his son, it was the simple fact he wasn't in the mood at the moment. It was almost funny how he never once for a moment suspecting him of really holding back. Of course, he thought he was just an idiot that popped up here and their, so his cover was safe.

He tried to get out with out making his presence known but the two were walking in His exact direction, and their was no way to leave with out making to much noise and blowing his location for sure.

Why didn't he take training as a Ninja when he had the chance? Pushing the negative thought away his best bet was to lay completely still and come one with part of the scenery. He went behind one of the small tree's, big enough to cover him but not big enough to completely do it unless he stood straight as possible with his hands to his sides.

Laharl stopped walking with his arms crossed, the stupid flowery smell was getting to his nose which made him irritable, but that was just a part of his personality. Sneezing he tried his best to looking like a proper Over Lord, but it was hard to when you feeling sick. This was ridiculous, demons didn't get sick!

Just when it seemed Krich was home free, he sneezed lightly.

Blinking the Over Lord looked around but saw nothing. "I Could have sworn I heard something.." He muttered, Flonne was looking around for one reason or another. "Did you hear some noise Flonne?"

"Huh?" She replied confused.

"Never mind." Figures the Love Freak wouldn't. "Lets just hurry up, their's some old geezers I need to beat down to get a bill passed at the Dark Assembly."

"Laharl, you shouldn't beat them up. Why can't you talk it over?"

Exasperated because he had this conversation a hundred times he _had_ to try anyway as they both began walking again, "Look us demons have our own code we go by. You follow the strongest after your beaten.." Their voices trailed off as they went further into the garden.

A sigh of deep relief came from Vyers lips, he thanked what ever stroke of good luck he had that day. Flonne had seen him, and while the Angel was never going to impress anyone with her smarts, she wasn't that bad. She must of had her own reasons for not saying anything, what they were he didn't know.

_Now, its time to pay the Reaper of Souls a visit. _He made a face when he got back at the area with the hatch and sighed. He was going to take a long shower after this done if it was the very last thing he did.

* * *

Authors Notes: I lucked out, I found a copy of La Pucelle at my local gaming store. So now I can check up on characterization and events etc. For Pucelle fans, your probably scratching your head about the Noir and Angelique appearing etc, but no to worry all will become clear if you stick around. R&R, its helping us both out. Every time you review, a Prinny and a Chocolat get saved. But lets face it, a Chocolat is better then a Prinny any day, their actually competent, a Prinny is good as a live bomb, though. 


	6. The Realm Of Twilight:Part Two

**Authors Notes: **I decided to keep up with one tradition that was in all the games. Remember how each game had Chapters? Usually 1-10ish. I plan on having Eleven, of course it may get smaller or bigger depending on how things go. The amount of 'episodes' for each one, will vary, depending on all the things I need to cram in and each will deal with different arcs(Speaking of which, this one is almost done. Check my profile for chapter names). With that said, hopefully this doesn't end up doing me in. We'll, off we go. Its still Krich flash back scene from the the chapter before this one though, so don't be confused.

* * *

Nothing was worse then not knowing where you going, unless you didn't know what you were going to do when you got their, that is. The person he needed to see wasn't easy to find, in fact it was near impossible to seek them out normally. 

But he forgot one of the first rules of the Netherworld: 'Normal' was a subjective thing.

King Krichevskoy's luck had been exceedingly well as of late; all things that had nothing to do with his search for answers that is. He found the so-called Reaper of Souls, but it went exactly as he had thought: he wouldn't say anything, unless he got an item in return for him. Who knew such beings would even be worried about those types of things?

His trading item was _all _the way back at the castle, after he had gone through all the trouble of locating the Reaper. It had been tempting to turn the thing into a pile of ash with an Over Lords Wraith technique, but he knew better, besides-it would have come back sooner or later they were pretty much immortal in that sense.

Sucking in his great irritation, he had gone back to the castle, sneaking in through the sewer..again much to his displeasure. If his hunch was right, he would need his old weapon again Longinus at least for a little while. All of his former vassals knew his identity, so he could move around some places without getting as much trouble. One of his old vassals, a ghost was busy trying to get everything he needed while he waited in a room, it being smarter and cost effective.

Then, he remembered how goofy his vassal was and almost wished he picked someone else.

"I found them, and I got Longinus to." A cheerful upbeat voice interrupted his train of thought.

Krich winced because he was being far too noisy, it was hard for his voice to go down when the ghost got overly excited. "Not so loud Gnoss." He made sure everything was in place, a plain brown box tucked under his arm and the large spear with an unhappy expression on its face. For once he remembered everything, part of that was due to being told multiple times but the end result was what mattered, right?

It felt strange to have Longinus in his hands again, almost awkward since it had literally been decades."I hope you're ready for another adventure old friend, but I have a feeling I'll need you."

"Always a pleasure to serve you. You may no longer be an official Over Lord, but you always be the true Over Lord to me."

He was a bit more touched then he would have admitted openly. "Thank you. Though, shouldn't Prince Laharl be your Over Lord instead of me, right now anyway?"

Longinus made a 'face' before saying anything, remembering how loud the young demon's voice rose in pitch when he was irritated, annoyed or angry, which was eighty percent of the time. "..He is..difficult at times. However, he is your son and I can say that thankfully he inherited some of you and your mates good personality traits. How well hidden those traits may be at times."

"Fair enough." The laughter in the King's voice would have annoyed the talking weapon normally, but this was an exception to the rule. It had been far to long since he had seen him, complaining could wait and if Krichevskoy was right; he would have _a lot_ to complain about later.

The door opened and every one almost had a stroke, thinking one of Laharl's maids had come in to clean the room. Gnoss had looked nervous, wandering what excuse he would have to make up for 'Mid-Boss' presence being in the castle, since the young Prince couldn't stand him. Longinus looked calm, it was hard to tell with him anyway though.

The three gave a collective mental sigh of relief when the intruder turned out to be yet another one of former King's vassals. Moving in and closing the door behind him was the Gargoyle, Cargo. Just one of the very few ones that stayed loyal, even after his death. He did look completely taken back at seeing him though.

"Lord Krichevskoy, what brings you here?"

"Business. And I told you not to call me 'Lord' besides I'm no longer royalty anymore remember? Lock the door." Once that task was done Krich gave a short summary of what was going on and why he was their.

"I see. I wasn't the only one that noti-" Cargo was cut off.

"Did you talk with your wife again?"Gnoss questioned, his nosy nature showing. "You should have asked her-" He cut himself off seeing the angry irritated look on Longinus face, Cargo looked agitated as well.

"Their's a word called 'tact', you should learn it." The spear growled, a bit angry about pale vassals lack of grace.

Instead of being offended in any way, Krich simply shook his head. "It's all right. I did talk to her like I have recently but she seemed..troubled. I'm not sure the full extent of what is going on and she left before I could ask any more questions."

"I always have to do the cleaning, why can't the other vassals clean up after themselves?" The voice came from outside the door, it was female obviously one of the maids. The sound of the door slowly being unlocked made the four(not counting Longinus) sweat bullets.

The whole group mentally had one word in mind: crap. Others of course had stronger words of choice. Cargo quickly went to the bed, picking up a random book and sitting. Gnoss just stood like he had no clue of what to do, which he did. Not seeing any other way; Krich stood perfectly still in a pose looking like a statue.

"What are you two doing in here? And why is Longinus here? And why is a statue of Mid-boss in the room?" The maid raised an eyebrow when she went to go dust the dusty book collection, the collected air-borne dirt particles made Gnoss sneeze slightly but he was ignored by everyone in the room. It was odd seeing Gnoss and Cargo in the same presence, the Gargoyle couldn't stand the ghost half the time and usually it ended up with him smacking the ghost upside the head for something he deemed 'stupid.'

"I was.." Cargo strained his brain for something, anything. Demons were supposed to be good at lying but he technically wasn't one anyway. "I was reading this book, I just wanted to get away from distractions. Gnoss is here to clean up my things, also he's a huge fan of Mid-Boss, he wouldn't come unless he brought the statue along, he brought Longinus along for company. Isn't that right?"

"I am?" The slower vassal replied, before a light bulb turned on so to speak. "Oh! I am. Yes, I am a big fan that I am."

"...Ok." She decided not to ask anymore questions. "That statue is so real, its almost creepy. Though its not as good-looking as the real Mid-Boss." The maid claspsed her hands together and little stars appeared in her eyes. "In person he's so handsome! This statue is ugly, though."

_Ugly?! _A vein appeared on Krich's forhead when he heard the comment, and he suddenly had an urge to say something back in return. Instead he could only lightly gnash his teeth together in annoyance, it drew the maids attention to him.

"Funny, I thought that thing moved.." Shrugging the maid continued cleaning, moving things while Cargo stood nervously, Gnoss was standing still clearly not the least bit worried.

"I'm done, do yo-" Not able to finish her sentence, Cargo quickly pushed the maid towards the exit.

"Thanks for the cleaning, now bye." He almost slammed the down after she was out, not wanting to take any chances. Only when the sound of her retreating steps were heard did the three, not counting Gnoss relaxed.

"That was far to close." Longinus said at length. "Thankfully your good at acting or we might have been in some trouble. I'm slightly surprised she fell for it though, despite how good you are at this sort of thing when you need to be How did you get the nick name Mid-boss anyway?"

"Long story." The change in his tone was a clear sign he didn't want to dig into the subject at all. Grabbing the sentient weapon, he turned to his now silent vassals. They weren't perfect and they were all quirky in their own ways, but they were always around when he needed them, even when they no longer had a true obligation to help him. He couldn't have asked for better friends.

"I'm going to go. Will you two continue to keep an eye on Laharl for me?" It was more of a request then anything, they didn't have if they didn't want to.

"Of course." Cargo hesitated, not wanting to offend him with his next question. "Why don't reveal yourself to your son? Wouldn't that make things easier?"

Suddenly, the room felt a lot less comfortable to be in.

No explosion of anger or anything else he had expected, instead he took a deep breath closing his eyes. "I can't. I want to but I can't." All three, even Longinus pondered on why he couldn't or wouldn't see Laharl, each forming their own conclusions. None of them were going to press it though, not even Gnoss. When the King didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to talk, stubbornness was another personality trait.

The strange silence in the room was deafening, so he decided to move things along. "It's been nice seeing you two. Take care of yourselves. If anyone ask, just say one of the metal shop workers borrowed it. Most people won't notice." Walking to the book case, he removed one of them, causing it to reveal a hidden passage. It closed after him as soon as he entered leaving the two alone.

"I'm lucky I never died." Gnoss said at last.

"Funny, I always thought you were a ghost." Cargo replied half in his own world at the time thinking.

"Oh. Wait your right. I guess I did kinda die huh? Can't remember how. I guess if I die again."

Cargo smacked his friends in the back of the head causing a knot.

* * *

In some places in the Netherworld areas existed that not even demons went to, only the crazy or exceptionally strong ones even bothered to go. Halkren. It was a little-known area that Reapers used to help guide Prinnies when it was their time to Reincarnate. But it was also the least stable place around, the lines that separated this realm from others became hazy, at times it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. 

Krich hated this place. Few things made him uneasy but this was one of them, some of the things here just got under his skin. He had to be careful to watch his step, the path he was on was a natural bridge made of solid stone, down below was a strange green liquid. He didn't know what it was exactly but he rather not take his chances. Other parts of the area were surrounded by mountain of all kinds, the only vegetation was the forest that lead to this place.

Another interesting characteristic of this place was the sky, it was exotic red color almost. Why this was he wanted to know but didn't have the time, even if he did he wouldn't want to spend to much time in this anyway. He could hear sloppy shuffle of feet as zombies moaned, obviously seeking prey of some kind. They were different from the zombies capable of thought, they only wanted to stop their hunger. An task that would never be completed. In some ways, zombies were very much more depressing then Prinnies. At least they had a chance to begin anew, the others were just suffering souls stuck in rotting flesh.

It was one of the reasons he had made a law to ban true zombies from being kept around. Of course, their were others that wanted the real thing. Necromancers that had complained their creations wouldn't be as powerful unless they used the real thing. That was fine, as long as majority obeyed but their were things that went under his nose..

"King Krichevskoy." Longinus tried for the second time trying to break him out of his reverie.

"Hmm? Sorry..I was just thinking. It's funny what things make you think about the past." Shaking his head he banished any more thoughts on the subject. "Never mind. Let's continue."

Respectfully, the spear didn't pry and he wasn't curious either way, he liked being in one piece. This place seemed that something horrible would happen if they stayed long enough here. It felt..unnatural somehow. Maybe that's why they were both anxious to leave. They didn't belong here at all and the sooner they did their business here, the better.

Silence covered them both. Talking was a thing they were both good at but neither talked to long of a period to each other unless something came up. Even so, they weren't quite where they needed to be and some side conversation couldn't hurt. "I'm slightly curious about one thing, how did you find out about this place? I don't recall it anywhere."

"My wife. When I talked to her some weeks before this one, she mentioned it. I figured if I was going to find a Reaper, I would find them here. After all, what better place then an area hardly anyone goes to that Prinnies get reincarnated as?" He smirked slightly, which vanished. "Do you know why they call it Halkren? It's because in an old language it means, 'In Between'. I also managed to pick up a book on it after. Their used to be people living here, not humans or demons but something else."

Longinus was a sucker for information so he had to ask, "Do you know what happened to these people and who were they?"

"The book didn't say.." Krichevskoy looked thoughtful trying to remember. "I can answer the other question though. From what I gathered, they were notoriously violent, greedy, arrogant and ignorant. Just think of what the average person what a stereotype of a demon is and times it by ten. They worshiped a Goddess of Death named Ilzarith. It turns out she wasn't pleased about how they were acting, and when they ignored her warnings, they eventually destroyed themselves. As punishment, some members of their race repent by guiding souls to their next life, the Prinnies and such. That's one of the legends of how Reapers came to be. There is more but I can't recall right now."

"Interesting. But I suppose that no one has any sources if that was true or not. It's still very fascinating all the same." Longinus didn't finish what ever it was he was about to say, another thing had caught his interest. "Is this the person you need to meet?"

In front of them was a silent foreboding figure, completely covered in a cloak with a hood. They seemed to float one inch above the ground, and none of them had legs. It's back was turned to them, it slowly turned towards them it seemed to have no face. The hood did a good job of covering them, they weren't sure if they wanted to see what the face looked like.

"**You've come.." **The Reaper drawled, its voice wasn't pleasant to hear. Similar to a light whisper with a echo to it. Or nails on a chalk board with an echo. **"Did you bring it?"**

Being around the things presence was uncomfortable to put it lightly, but being this way around this being wasn't anything new. He wordlessly gave the brown box, the Reaper was all to eager to take it off his hands, a bony arm took it from him. Inspecting the box and making sure everything was in their the creature backed off a few feet. **"My master will be pleased to have these. Are you certain you want to continue?"**

"I'd like a bit more information before I go through." It was best to play it safe, neither Krichevskoy nor Longinus really trusted the thing but they had little else to go on right now. The king's interest was lightly perked when he heard it had a master, he wondered

"**As expected.." **It hissed in that horrible whisper-like voice. **"I will take you** **the Twilight Realm, a place that exist between the living and dead-it is neither. If you die their, your soul will cease to exist and true death would over come you. You may find the answers you seek their, or not. It matters little to me."**

"What if we don't find what were looking for, how would we return?" The demon pressed. "How do we even know your telling the truth?" Years of politics at the Dark Assembly had taught him many things, but one important lesson was how to smell a rat. And more importantly when someone was lying among other things.

"**You really are King Krichevskoy.." **A strange sound for a chuckle, or it seemed like it came from the Reaper. **"Soul's cant lie. You may have a new body but your soul is the same, Reapers cannot lie. We can only with hold information. If you want to leave from that realm.." **Unconsciously the two tensed when it came closer but instead of attacking, it just held out a hand with an item, an meager pendant. **"You may use** **this to leave. Any other way you must learn on your own. Do you still want to continue?" **It questioned again, all this time it never lost its patience at all.

Reluctantly the pendant was taken and placed in inside his pockets for later retrieval if the need arose. On the plus side, he could find out the answers behind the whole ordeal and put an end to it at last. On the other half of it, he might not find what he was looking for, things could go wrong and he'd end up stuck..

It was to tempting, he wasn't getting any younger why not another journey? It would have been almost like old times if Lamington was around. Krichevskoy glanced at his spear, the face gave away nothing but he knew his response: he would go where ever the he went.

"We decided. Take us to this Twilight Realm."

"**...Very well." **While the hooded Reapers voice never changed much in diction or sound, they both could have sworn it sounded annoyed. Holding out a single hand, it made a circle slowly, a blue outline appeared, like it was drawing on air. Once the circle was completed; it bursted in a flash making a portal. Having made up their minds, Krich only hesitated for a moment before going through. It closed behind them afterwards.

The Reaper's Mistress would no doubt be pleased at her gift. It furthered their goals, but the complete nature of them was unknown to even itself. If the creature had more curiosity, it would have questioned. But it didn't he was a lowly vassal to be used and discarded, he still hadn't cleansed all of his sins. He would continue to go along with it until his eternal debt was repaid some day.

Standing their for what seemed like an eternity, the unnamed figure sat completely still watching where the two had exited by using the portal. **"It will all..end..with..them." **Making sure it's prize was firmly in it's grasp, it turned and began floating away. It's body became and more and more transparent, until it to disappeared.

* * *

Angelique was late. It was her fault for being late she knew, but she couldn't have just ignored people that needed help. The two older gentlemen and lady who took her in when she winded up in this strange place had been far to kind to her, and she felt guilty for not being able to repay them back somehow. She would make it up to them somehow someday, even if it took years with the meager about money she made selling flowers. 

Moving through the over crowded city, she noticed how sick some of the people were. It hurt a small part of her heart, but she couldn't save everyone, as much as it pained her to admit that fact. Knowing that little truth didn't make her feel any better but even she was starting to know what her limits were. After healing a dozen or so people, she was simply _far _to tired do be able to summon the energy to heal. The best she could do, was come back later when she was rested up and do all she could. Right now she had to get back to her home. Not technically her home she supposed but it was for now until she could afford a place of her own.

As of late, that was the least of the young healers worries. People were getting sick, a strange illness that caused their bodies to become transparent, eventually it would get worse until the point they vanished like they never were their. The worse part was that people would slowly forget about them, even the closes family and friends, like bits and pieces of memories were slowly being extracted from their head. If it wasn't that, it was the fact that the local orphanage was going to be taken down, the people in charge of it couldn't pay, so it would be taken down soon by the local crime organization.

No one stood up to them out of fear, but they had been keeping a tight grip of most of the this small city in it's grip for a long time, from what she could remember. Angelique was also trying to donate some money to prevent this from happening, but it wasn't close to being enough. She was still late and if she stopped by the orphanage for one final time, they would get worried.

But they would understand if she explained it to them. She hoped so anyway.

Their was really no way to tell time, this realm lacked a visible sun or moon, but it was similar enough to what she was used to, at least the skies were blue. It was still disheartening not to see the moon or some of the other things she had grown accustomed to in her life. Even so, she made up her own way to tell the time. The sky seemed to change color depending around what time it was for a brief period of time. If it was morning, it would appear yellow, grey for afternoon, and orange before night. It had turned orange not to long ago, which meant night was approaching, she would have to hurry before they got to worried.

Knowing at least some of the areas and places by heart at this point, she took the shortest amount of time getting to the orphanage in the least amount of grief, via short cuts. The back alleys were dangerous but they were also the most time effective. She was a bit disturbed when she came upon the orphanage, to see it surrounded by rough-looking men. An middle-aged woman in her thirties in clothes someone would wear in the common church was arguing with one of them. She instantly recognized her as Janna.

"You can't just take it down, where will they go?"

"It's not my problem lady. Take it with the boss."

"You..." The woman started about to use stronger language but noticed Angelique coming closer and instantly turned her attention towards her. "Angelique! Their going to take it down. They said it's not making enough money so their replacing it with something else."

"What? You can't do that to them. It won't hurt to let it stay, please don't take it down." Angelique protested but the look on the man's face gave away nothing, he wasn't budging at all on the subject.

"Look..." The man said irritated and took a deep breath as if explaining something to children. "I'm a simple messenger, I don't have any power on what the boss does. If he wanted to paint half the town rainbow its his business. I'm sure as hell ain't getting in his way. If you gotta problem, then you take it up with him. I Could tell him but he doesn't listen to non-influential nobodies."

That comment made the oldest of the three lose her temper. "Nobodies?! Why you dead beat roughneck! Why do you always have to ruin other peoples chances at normal lives?"

"Hey chill lady. Your lucky this face is even talking to you."A rogue grin appeared on the messengers face. "Course, I bet you had plenty of fun before you became apart of the church eh? Why believe in gods? Sure they exist but they forgot about us and let us rot here while they live in their own little paradise. Can't even strike up the nerve to say sorry." He spat, his face turning upwards in complete loathing.

"You don't know what your talking about." She looked completely appalled by the comments.

Angelique was thinking, tuning out the arguments. She really only saw one way to resolve this and that was to give away her money she had been saving for herself."Wait, if I had the money, would you keep it up?"

"We'll, yeah. From what I know anyway, can't promise anything." He then nodded. "If you got the money I'd tell the boss."

"No, not your money you've been keeping for yourself." Janna shook her head. "Keep it. That money is something you need."

"You worry to much, I'll be fine. It's just money I can earn more." Angelique said with a smile, though inwardly she knew it would set her back all the way back to her savings amount when she first got here: nothing. She handed a small envelope to him and backed off. "Is that enough?"

"Almost. If you got more around it would be official." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'll wait here for you just come back later. But this is enough for the Boss to at least hold back from bringing the place completely down."

Janna didn't want the place brought down either, of course. But she didn't want Angelique giving away her hard earned savings for it, how she got the money she would ask her later. She just wished the girl would put herself first instead of others, some times it was better that way.

"I do. I won't take long." Just before Angelique was about to hurry off, the man stopped her again.

"Hey, change of plans." He went up to her and handed a plain worn piece of paper. "These are directions to the place we'll meet and do the exchange."

"Why can't you do it here?" Janna scowled not trusting him as far as she could throw him which wasn't to far.

A careless shrug was her answer."He has a lot of enemies, you don't want your precious orphanage ruined, right? It's for both our benefit, besides I'm not forcing her its her choice."

"I'll go with you then." She started but Angelique shook her head.

"No, I'll go. Your needed here, don't worry so much I know what I'm doing. I'll be back soon." No one got another word in before she took off.

Janna mentally sighed. _For your sake child, I hope so. I hope so.._

* * *

By the time Angelique had gathered all of what was left of her savings, it had become slightly dark outside. She hadn't stayed home to long, and luckily the two people who took her in were out like they were usually, they never stayed inside for to long. So she had got all her things and a meager coat and left quickly with out a word. 

It was a darker place at night, and not just in the literal sense. Their were disturbing things that resided in this realm, most never went to the city, they had a horrible fear of lights of any kind and they kept away from the city. But in other less civilized areas, the people lived in constant fear of being attacked by nightmarish creatures. It was something she thought about ever time she traveled at night, she didn't fear getting attacked by common cut throats and muggers.

She feared something else, something darker.

Hurrying a bit quicker, she unconsciously went faster trying not to let her imagination wander to much. She wasn't able to see in the dark so she had memorized the place before hand, even if their was still some light out. The directions lead her to almost abandoned part of the city, but she could have sworn she had been to this place before. What stood out the most was a large ugly black tower, it was a 'business' building that the crime organization ran.

"You bring the other half?" Startled, Angelique almost bolted until some recognition of the man's face came to her. But she didn't recognize any of the other men or the one completely cloaked standing in the middle, it made her anxious and not in a good way. She soundlessly handed over the envelope, waiting.

It was handed to the cloaked man or woman who looked at it for a long time.

Then, it turned into blue flames in his hands before turning to ash.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. I need that pitiful orphanage removed for my own means, its doing nothing but getting in the way." The cloaked man chuckled, it was unmistakably male at this point. "I am slightly surprised some riff raff such as yourself was able to acquire so much money, but no matter." He took a slow step forward, and Angelique took a step back. "I am Talenarath, the Demon Lord. Carry that name to the grave with you."

This was the reason she didn't want Janna to come with her, it was a bit suspicious. She didn't know if it was a trap or not and she didn't want to take chances. Angelique thought of fleeing, but even if she ran he could easily catch her, she knew that much.

"Demon Lord? Surely you must be joking, theirs children more powerful then you." A stranger with pointed ears slowly began walking towards them, a spear in his hand. "But all this time with out others to challenge you must have made your perception of reality diluted. Leave the young lady be."

"Fool, watch your tongue and mind your business." Talenarath growled. "You have no idea of who your speak to. I single handedly slain thousands of demons and other creatures before I came here."

"Really?" The stranger echoed amused. "My son can do that and he's only a child."

"ENOUGH!" He roared, agitated no longer sounding human at all, not that he sounded to much like one from the start. His lackey's backed up knowing their leader was angry and Angelique did the same knowing better then to get in the way, even if she didn't want anyone fighting. Talenarath charged his opponent with faster then normal speeds...

..Only to have his foe simply side step and almost lazily hold his foot out. It almost caused him to trip before he regained his balance. "Point for me."

Infuriated, the Demon Lord's body glowed before a large blue fire ball erupted from his hands and instead of dodging his enemy smacked it away with that strange spear of his.

"I truly wish you wouldn't do that."

Almost everyone paused a second on hearing the new voice but no one saw anything, but it seemed to come from the spear. This to, more then anything made Talenarath angry no weapon could speak, he was trying to make a mockery out of him.

"Are you trying to make a fool out of me?" The Demon Lord's patience had just ran out.

"I would, but nature beat me to it."

That wise crack pushed him over the edge, a vein appeared on his forehead."Arghhh! Shut up and die!" He blindly charged him in a furious rage only to be stopped by one hand, casually.

"It's been fun, but its over." The strangers tone lost its mocking quality and turned serious, he simply lifted him up and tossed him skywards, until he turned into a shining star in the distance. All the thugs were shocked and completely baffled as how their leader could lose so easily.

"Don't leave us here!" Making a mad dash away from the area, they followed the general direction of where their master was thrown.

Angelique's savior snorted to himself, she was about to go over when she heard the uncertified voice again.

"Wasn't that over kill?"

"Hmm? Non sense. I did it to prisoners who were getting their act together, it builds character and it doesn't kill them."

"Excuse me sir."

Stopping in mid conversation, the stranger turned around. "I forgot my manners, I'm..." He started then trailed off thinking. "I'm Krichevskoy, Krich for short. This is my friend Longinus, the voice you heard."

"It's nice to meet you." This time their was no mistaking it, the spear actually talked.

"My name is Angelique. Can I get you anything? You did save my life after all."

"If you can point us in the direction of a place to stay we would be grateful." Longinus said quickly before the King could say anything that would set them back. He admired him but some times he could be far to impulsive and not think things through for the long run.

"I'll take you to the mansion then, its not that far and they won't mind." Angelique already began walking but made sure they were behind.

"I'm curious, what was in that box that the Reapers master wanted?" Longinus couldn't help but say, keeping his voice down.

"Twinkies." Krich replied with out miss a beat, like it was nothing wrong.

"..Forget I asked."

* * *

**Authors Notes: **Slightly more light-hearted then other chapters, but the quirky off beat sense of humor is why people like Disgaea, so I had to put at least a few moments of it. Not to worry though, the fic will largely remain serious, this was just more of a break. Next chapter is back with Prier and Adell parts of the story. _Eventually _all the characters will meet together of course, but this makes it easier on me to do it this way for now. 


	7. Spiral of Tears

Culotte had chosen wisely to stay out of his big sisters way when she was one of her 'black moods' in other words, when she most tempted to hit him on his head causing a knot just like the old days. As they got older, he didn't have to worry about it as much but Prier always reminded him he was never old enough for a friendly knock on the head when he went out of line.

And by out of line, he meant anything that made her temper flare up. 

Going back to Pot au Feu City was a pain to put it gently. They had to make sure Zarim was all right the entire time, the other city had no places for him to receive any real medical treatment. So after about two days of letting him rest; they headed back to their home, but at a much slower pace then normal. Monsters had thrown themselves at the group on the trip with almost gleeful but suicidal abandon-suicidal because they were attacking his sister when she wasn't in a good mood, and reckless because they kept doing it.

Then, they had some of the worse camping the two had in a while. The rain had really started to pour when going further away from any towns or cities. Which meant they had to 'rough' it out in the cold weather, even Culotte had been miserable and he knew all this wasn't to good for Zarim either.

So, when they did _finally _arrive at their destination, he could understand why his sister would be in a bad mood. After all, he had been their and even agreed on some of the things but hadn't got as agitated like Prier had.

It was also early in the morning, so the fact she hadn't got much of any sleep hadn't helped her morale to much. Culotte knew his sister was notorious for her sleeping habits, not just by how late she would sleep in but her snoring, but that was another story. But a story he wouldn't tell even if he was asked or payed for it, after all, he was enjoying his head being knot free this long.

Even if it was early in the morning, it still appeared to be night time. Pot au Feu City was a bit different at night but not by much, harder to see where they were going. It was only the fact they knew the way around here almost by heart that saved them from wandering around. Luckily Zarim was somewhat conscious as he trudged along side the other two, being supported by the very same person he had insulted multiple times. Life was funny with twist like that.

Since it was so early, they would have liked(Or at least Culotte) would have liked to be quite as not to wake any body that lived in the church. It was really one of the few things open at this time, people believed that it should be open for worship at any time, thank life for small miracles.

Prier and Culotte made a bit of noise with the water that flooded their shoes, and the trail of mud that was left in their walk as they entered the church. None of the sisters were going to be to happy about cleaning up the mess but it had to be done.

"It wouldn't kill you to be more gentle." Zarim complained. He had been dragged along with out much time for breaks or anything..but he supposed he should be grateful. The youth had little respect for their elders these days.

"I'm _doing _the best I can. You want to walk on your own then?"

This of course, shut him up. We'll, he did grumble under his breath but close enough for Zarim anyway.

_I'm never going to understand Prier's mood swings, and I'm her brother. One minute she can be very motherly, almost smothering, and the next..We'll you've seen it for yourself. It's just something you kind of get used to that's unavoidable, like the change in weather. _

_Only thing is, the weather is somewhat predictable, Prier usually isn't._

The infirmary was always open, even if the church wasn't in case anyone ever needed any medical attention. Another life saver that sister Kayla, the nurse was inside which had saved them the trouble of trying to find her.

"Sister Prier, Brother Culotte? Where have you two be-." Once the nurse noticed Zarim was in good need of checking up on she had cut off her question of where she had been. "Over here." With some effort on his part, they got Zarim in a bed near the far corner of the room. He wasn't to happy about the whole thing, it could have been many times worse though

Kayla closed some curtains over Zarim, in a way giving him some sort of privacy, if a bit crude. For a person that was still in training to become a full-fledged nurse, her skills were beyond her years, probably the reason she was allowed to tend to the patients when the main nurse was away.

"Now, where have you two been?" She asked for the second time patiently.

"LONG boring story short, we ran into trouble and Zarim got hurt. Me and Culotte had to slow down so he wouldn't hurt himself more." Prier wrung her shirt lightly, letting some of the water out, she didn't seem to mind the fact that some water had gotten on the floor, but neither did Sister Kayla: having gotten used to her behavior. "Ugh, I'm going to get water-proof clothes next time."

_Not that We can afford it with the amount of money me and Culotte make. _She thought to herself, but she kept that bit silent. Some time ago she would have said it out loud. Prier was making progress in the manners department, only to be set back by other things she did.

"We probably could get one if you hadn't spent our money on that new Baton. It's just like any other, I mean I don't see the big deal." Her younger brother commented, earning him a glare

"It's not Just a Baton. It's The Baton. It's a replica of the famous Demon Hunter Elsann weapon, who beat Demon Lords by herself." She winked, "I even managed to get it at a low price."

"..How much?" Culotte groaned.

Unashamed she replied."One-Thousand Prica."

Culotte nodded, it wasn't that much,"Oh. One-Thousand Prica." It was one of those things that didn't click until a few seconds After saying it before what he said registered in his head. "That much?! Prier, we _only _make about Two-Thousand a month at best together. What if something comes up and we have to pay for it first before food?"

"Stop worrying. We can always get food in the right places, besides it'll just mean you get to eat more of my cooking."

_Lucky me. Eating Prier's food is like making a vampire eat garlic: unhealthy and was every bit as dangerous._ _If she only actually ate her own cooking._

Sister Kayla lightly coughed to get the two's attention, watching them was pretty funny sometimes but she needed get some news out the way. "Sister Olive wanted me to tell you if I saw you first that Queen Crepine and Princess Eclair wanted to see you two about something."

It made Prier focus completely on Kayla, and Culotte had already turned his attention to her a bit earlier then his sister had.

"Did she say anything else?" Prier asked, not hiding the fact she had become a bit worried. Eclair was like a little sister to her, and when they were called like this it meant something big had happened, something bad. She felt a knot rise in her stomach, from his look, her brother felt the same way.

Kayla simply shook her head softly."No. She didn't say more then that, but it was important. You guys should get some rest and head out when you wake up."

"..All right. Let us know if anything else comes up. I'm going to go to bed." Only the slight _squish _sound of water in her shoes was heard as she made her way out to get some sleep. Culotte left a bit after he was sure there was nothing he could help out with. He still had a bad feeling about the whole thing, maybe he was paranoid.

_Something tells me what we'll see will be the start of another big thing. I haven't had this feeling since before we went to Fatima. It was the same exact feeling. Didn't know it at the time, but our world of peaceful-living would be coming to an end, and things we thought were set in stone would be tested.._

* * *

Around the next morning, Prier and Culotte were almost completely refreshed. The younger brother was anyway, Prier was dead to the world and out like a light sleeping the whole day away. She was sprawled on the bed, sleeping hard enough to where nothing verbally would force her to awaken. Instead, her alarm clock was rolling over and falling out of the bed, making her wake up grumpily rubbing her eyes. She had been having such a nice dream to. Then her eyes widened with a start. 

_Oh no, I'm late! _Prier got up with a start and frantically got herself dressed, glad she had thrown some clothes to wear that next day, though a bit sloppily. She really hadn't meant to over sleep like that, she was a bit more tired then she thought. _I'm gonna kill Culotte, he shoulda woke me up. _She made her way out of her room, putting on her boots as she did so to complete her Demon Hunting atire. Culotte was waiting out of her door leaning against the wall.

"Why didn't you wake me up?!" She wasn't mad..she preferred the term mildly unhappy right now. Prier put on her last boot after she was done saying it, tying them up quickly with all the skill and haste of one who was used to hurrying at the last second.

Culotte sighed, his orange bangs got in the way of his eyes, he was going to get himself a hair cut soon. "I tried. You sleep through just about anything, and remember last time I came into your room? You were getting dressed. I still have the knot somewhere on my scalp from you hitting me so hard."

"You should have knocked." Prier muttered, already heading out the door with Culotte close behind.

"I did knock, and you knocked on my head afterwards. You never said anything, so I thought you were just sleeping, plus it was unlocked.." Since he was slightly behind Prier, he had the honor of locking the door behind the small house.

_When Croix went on his journey four years ago, Prier was depressed. She would give this strong front and be her old self, but me and those that really know her knew other wise. So, as a birthday present on her 17th birthday, Father Salade, his wife and some others pitched in and got both me and Prier this small house. It had pictures of everyone and other things that reminded us of fonder memories. Happier times._

_On that day, I think she did shed a tear or two when no one was looking. Only this time, it was because sh_e was _happy, if just for a moment._ _Funny how all this time and now that I'm a teenager and she's in her twenties, yet we still live together. I guess, in a way it made us a bit closer._

She couldn't think of a counter point to Culotte's statement. And he did have a point, besides neither really wanted to remember the little accident. So the best Prier could do is leave it alone for now and focus on the task they needed to complete. They still needed to see Crepine and Eclair, but she wanted to check in with Sister Olive real quick.

The city was already up and about with their business, considering it was late now. Children were busy playing, mothers busy sweeping or cleaning and fathers already out working. The atmosphere was a busy one, it was more of a hustle and bustle type of environment where closed mouths didn't get fed. Not exactly a mentality Culotte completely agreed with, but he understood to an extent.

Prier was power walking, almost running but not fast enough to be considered as much, just in the middle. Culotte didn't complain about keeping up with his sisters fast pace, he was used to it when they had went to school together, it wasn't that much different. Taking a short cut through an alley, she and her brother got to the church with a few seconds to spare. A few people were already going about their routine but neither sibling payed it much mine as they went to the main office, where(hopefully) Sister Olive was.

"I'm sorry, I know I over slept." Prier already began apologizing as soon as she and her brother entered the office knowing she might get lectured which was something she wanted to avoid. Sitting behind a desk was a woman with green hair, probably roughly in her mid to early twenties making an educated guess on appearance alone.

"It's fine, Sister Kayla told me what happened. At least you two had some decent rest. Did you sleep all right Culotte?" She asked simply, sometimes he didn't get nearly as much rest as his sister and she wanted to make sure.

The younger brother was slightly embarrassed for bringing attention to himself like that. "I'm all right." _For the most part anyway. _"What did you want to talk to us about?"

_The Church of The Holy Maiden used to be run by Father Salade, but after our last adventure he finally decided to retire and settle down, giving the position to Sister Olive. Maybe he did retire, but not settle down completely. I still see him sneak off to train, guess it's a fighter thing._ _For the most part Sister Olive does ok, for someone who became head of the church so suddenly anyway. She's still learning as she goes._

The green-haired woman looked tired and drained, like she had aged a few years, but it passed quickly. "I wish I knew what was going on, all I know is the reports of strange things happening. Not all of them are strange, maybe just, out of the ordinary. For example, just yesterday at a graveyard zombies appeared of those who haven't been deceased that long."

"Zombies..?" Prier said almost quietly. Ever since she had encountered the zombies in Castle Montblanc, she had a different view of the creatures.

"Yes. It wouldn't be something strange normally, but its been happening more and more at an increasing rate, if it keeps up.." She shook her head. "The end results would be..disastrous to put it lightly. I won't hold you up anymore, the Queen and the princess can fill you in on things I don't know. Zarim left before you two woke up but he wanted me to give this to you two." Sister Olive handed Prier a plain piece of paper with somewhat sloppy hand-writing it read:

_Dear Prier and Culotte:_

_I Suppose I should be grateful f_or _the help back there.(Not that I needed it)_ _I decided to leave you half of my money that I earned on that trip..as an apology. You kids aren't to bad but your lacking the fundamental of Demon Hunting._ _It would be good to bone up on the basics again every once in a while. In the future we may meet again, or not, it depends. My life will have me on lock-down for a while from hunting anytime soon when she learns what happened. Take care of yourselves._

_P.S._

_Don't let it get your head about you two saving me, that was luck._

"Figures, the jerk." Prier smile was a clear indication she hadn't taken the comment personal, people that knew her some years back would have been surprised she hadn't gotten angry about it all or at least slightly annoyed. She let Culotte read it, who folded it and put the letter in his pocket when he was done.

"Hold the fort while were gone, and tell Father Salade I said hi." Prier had already headed out the door before anyone could say anything. She wasn't needed any longer but still she could have asked.

"I better catch up with her before she gets in trouble." Culotte rubbed the back of his head almost sheepishly, his face looking apologetic before he went after his sister.

The green-haired woman couldn't help but smile a little once they left, which slowly disappeared from her face. She was feeling tired, and not physically but mentally. These disturbances weren't helping herself or anyone else, she hoped it would be resolved soon. It was just wishful thinking, a feeling in her heart made it clear that it was just the beginning.

* * *

Culotte couldn't remember the last time he had visited Eclair, and he felt a bit guilty about it. But he knew Prier had went out on her own to go visit her on her own time with out him sometimes, it was just lately she had become more busy with her training and had been in the company of prince Homard. On foot it was an long walk but they were used to traveling everywhere on foot anyway. 

When they entered the palace, none of the insides really looked any different. Both of them always expected some revisions of some kind as the years rolled pass. One thing that really had changed was the appearance of Eclair and Crepine. The princess had grown at least a few inches taller and her hair had grown out as well. She looked more like a woman in her late teens, where before she only looked a bit older then Culotte. Crepine hadn't changed as much, her eyes still had that kind wise look to it, but she seemed more tired. Prier and Culotte could have sworn they saw specks of grey hair, but it was most likely their imagination.

"Big sister!" Eclair's eyes seemed to light up on seeing the two hunters and it was proven when she gave them each a tight hug. Culotte felt himself slightly winded by it, she must have been training with Prier or something he concluded.

"Did someone die?" Prier said, gently pushing her back so she could get a better look at her, Culotte couldn't help but mentally groan. Only his sister and her sense of humor.

"Your funny Prier." Eclair only laughed for a brief second, not minding her Big sister's sense of humor.

"You bet." The red-head said proudly, glad Eclair agreed with her. At least _some _people could appreciate her, unlike those who wouldn't be named or her brother.

Culotte's eyes narrowed to little slits. "Don't encourage her. I'll be the one that will have to deal with her jokes the most."

**Smack.**

Culotte held his head, a courtesy received knot from his sister hitting him.

Despite this, the meeting continued on unhindered. After all, with those two this was a relatively normal occurrence, or at least as normal as you could get with those two anyway.

"I'm glad you two have come." Crepine slowly made her way towards the trio.

_Almost Didn't see that coming. It's getting harder to know when she'll actually hit me or just ignore it. I probably should stop gambling about it._ "What did you want to talk about?" Culotte tried to take his mind off his own pain and focus on someone else who had a problem.

The mood of two members of royalty mood visibly soured. But never the less the question was inevitable and one that needed to be answered one way or another. Crepine seemed older and tired then she Culotte and Prier had ever seen her. Eclair just put a hand on her shoulder giving her mother a reassuring squeeze, which earned her a light smile before she addressed Culotte's question.

"Over the past few days, people have been vanishing." Crepine began slowly. "Not as in kidnaping or running off, as in they disappear into thin air. The victims bodies would become transparent, and it would worsen as time went by until they ceased to exist. Afterwards, even the people most close to them would start to forget them."

"Wait. If even the closes people to the victims forget them, then how do you or anyone else remember them?" Culotte questioned, Prier remained silent through out the whole thing for her own reasons.

"That's the strangest thing. It's really only the people closes to them that forget, the rest can remember. Just yesterday, we lost contact with Gultrin city on the outskirts of our kingdom, and an island was completely destroyed. It seems both have fallen, less then a day." She shook her head. "I don't know what could have happened, in order for an army large enough to attack such a large city and overwhelm the forces there, they would have to have traveled through one of the choke points. Since our investigation, we have concluded this was a work of an extremely powerful being. Because there is no way an army could vanish like that with out leaving some evidence behind."

Culotte felt a chill unconsciously go up his back. There had to be a rational logical explanation of why one of the largest and most powerful cities in the whole kingdom would just be destroyed, just like that. It would have taken even the Dark Prince a bit longer then that.

"Your excellency." A guard called out, getting everyone's attention. "Some one wishes's to see you to discuss something. From the Lior Empire I believe."

"Let them come." Crepine said simply, her face completely masked.

The sound of the large double doors opening was the only noise at first, followed by the slow confident foot steps of someone. An old man in a priest robe was seen, he had white hair and black eyes, but his walk seemed almost arrogant. His most noticeable feature was that he had little to no hair. Some of the guards escorted him as to make sure he did nothing funny, less he would end up at the end of their sharp weapons.

"Ah. It's a pleasure to meet the royal family. I'm Lior." He gave a slight bow but not to deep or to short. "I have an proposal for you."

_I don't trust this creep_. Prier tried to keep from glowering at the guest but something about him rubbed her the wrong way and she didn't know what it was yet.

"I'm sure your at an lost of what's happening, and we to are at a loss. However, we kindly extend an offer of your kingdom becoming part of our empire. It would be beneficial for both parties. We have many resources and by doing so we can help keep this 'problem' under control with our combined forces. Does this sound fair?" Lior waited patiently afterwards.

Crepine thought about her daughter answering the question, but she was far to inexperience with the art of political warfare to understand it was a battle field, one of the mind. It was game, a very dangerous complicated game at times. She heard about them, and what she heard she hadn't liked. But how could she say no with out starting a war? They might invade, so she decided to buy time.

"It's an wonderful offer." The Queen paused, gauging his reaction. "But unfortunately I'm afraid I must decline the offer at this time. Would it be to much trouble to think this over?"

The smile faltered. Only to come back nano seconds later. "Of course. No rush. The offer still stands." He slowly made his way out of the palace with the guards making sure he saw his way out.

"I don't like that bald guy." Prier said bluntly once he left, Culotte had the same feeling so for once he didn't lecture her about manners.

* * *

Once Lior was outside and the guards had went back to their post, he showed his displeasure of it not going according to plan. That foolish cow of a queen would pay for her antics, he knew she was trying to buy time, time he wouldn't have given her. His carriage was waiting and a few guards. 

To his greater displeasure, a certain someone was there as well.

"Felonius.." Lior drawled. Seeing a woman with blonde hair in armor, she had almost otherworldly look to her, like she didn't belong or fit into this world. She worked for her master and deity named Zorphues. He had never seen him in person often, but he would show himself every once in a while.

"You failed. Not surprising." The woman spoke in a clear crisp voice that bordered on monotone at the time. She received a frustrated grunt from him but continued anyway. "Back at your city, a riot was caused because of your negligence and oppressive ways of your Empire. It's only a matter of time before it crumbles."

"Yes. Yes, I'm aware of that." Lior hated the woman with almost every fiber of his being, but he didn't get rid of her because she was far to powerful, and he didn't want to turn her side agaisnt him and his group. "Which is why we will undergo some changes. Is there a point of you being here besides bringing me unweclomed news?"

"Zorphues was wondering when you were, going to have a 'cleansing' as you call it." While her tone didn't change, it sounded mildly disgusted.

"It actually already began today." He got himself inside the carriage as his loyal soldiers loaded up inside for his own protection. "Cleaning the world of corruption and evil is an never ending job my dear. With power comes corruption, therefore those with any power. Whether it be dark or light need to be destroyed. It's custom to get rid of the children with dark or light powers before their fully grown. Good day." The carriage took off at a slow pace as they rode off.

Felonius shook her head. Power was indeed corrupting, unfortunately he was to blind to see his own folly, blinded by his own ideals. _Foolish old man, that was probably the reason for the riot in the first place. _She slowly walked in the other direction, and didn't seem to be in a hurry.

* * *

It was complete chaos. 

All around Adell, scenes of violence were seen from all sides.

People in the city fought a losing battle agaisnt armored knights, they were much better trained and armed then the citizens, they only had a number advantage agaisnt them. A soldier tried to round up some of the people on a horse, spear in hand, only to run into the heat of the angry mob. They grabbed him by his foot, dragging him off his horse and began brutually beating him with crude weapons such as pieces of wood, pipes and the like.

More soldiers came, some on foot and others on horseback trying to subdue the crowd with no real success. Other rioters weren't fighting, but breaking through stores and trying to steal as much loot as they could before the confusion went away. Archers on horseback struck back at some of the attackers, but one missed its target. Instead of the target, it struck a woman in the back and she fell face first in a pool of her blood. A child's shriek followed by outraged cries was a clear sign the soldiers had just tried to cool a fire with oil.

"MURDERER!"

"Kill the heartless pigs! They won't kill our children anymore any longer!"

They were out for blood more then ever now, the empires soldiers blood that is. In their thirst for the archers blood, they stumbled over bodies of fallen comrades who had died from arrow shots, but even this didn't stop them. It was like they weren't even afraid to die anymore. The rookie archer that had struck the woman down began to panic when they got close , but was pulled off his horse and disappeared screaming into the crowd, the other nearby soldiers shared the same fate.

Adell was completely appalled. He had seen bad things in his time, but _nothing _had compared to this kind of brutality. Even when Zenon had ruled, the fights had never been this grim. It felt different from the fights with demons and monsters, more personal. _I got to find them. _He started to become increasingly desperate as he fought off soldiers when they tried to capture him and went further in the senseless violence.

"Halt!" The martial artist lighting quick reflexes saved him from getting skewered over the tip of a spear from a foot soldier. The only bad thing about spears, was the fact it was a poor weapon extremely up close. Adell closed the distance, smashing his opened palm on the man's forhead dropping him.

Leaning back, he allowed a sword to thrust to pass through empty space before his hand came underneath, hitting upwards and knocking the sword from the soldier's grasp. Not being a slouch, he used the same hand that he disarmed him with to flip him over his shoulder. It normally wouldn't have been to bad, but the heavy armor actually made it worse to get up.

_If these idiots would get off my case for a second. _Now truly irritated, he stopped playing around with them and used what ever force needed to put them down quickly and painlessly(not really for them, but for Adell.) The last of the soldiers had fallen, at least the ones that had been ganging up on him, but he wasn't completely out of the woods yet.

He heard a familiar scream, and his head jerked up. _That was Alouette! _His body felt lighter as the fighter hurriedly went towards the general direction of the scream. Adell jumped over some armored horsemen, completely baffling them, but they had the mob to worry about so they didn't follow in pursuit.

What he saw, made him stop in his tracks for a moment.

Alison was breathing slowly, an arrow protruding from her chest and Alouette was a complete wreck from the looks of it. She seemed visibly more pale because she was losing her life blood quickly and it was starting to show.

Adell came closer and knelt down towards the dying woman, and Alouette looked pleadingly at him to do something, anything. But as he looked over at her wounds, he knew he couldn't do anything and Alouette didn't possess the power or hadn't been taught to heal something this severe on her own. Adell just slowly shook his head.

"..Alouette." Alison said softly. "Be brave for me, ok?" Alouette could only nod and the elder woman smiled slowly looking up. "Please watch over her." She almost pleaded to Adell who nodded.

"Yea..I promise." Adell replied quietly.

"That's a good girl." Her body went limp and she passed away with a smile on her face. Alouette just stood there in complete shock, her mind didn't comprehend it at the time and as an act of self defense she blocked it off.

Death wasn't anything new to Adell. This however was the first time he had seen anyone die that wasn't a warrior, just someone who had lived their life normally only to be struck down for no real reason at all. He didn't even know if it was an accident or had been done purposely. Alouette just stood there, unmoving. The least he could do was give her a proper burial, and show Bernard his deceased wife. Besides, just leaving the body here wasn't a good idea.

Adell gently lifted the cold body from the ground, he felt bad just doing this. "Come on Alouette." He softly had to prompt her a few times to get her to follow him. Now he just had to worry about fighting through the crowd.

* * *

The trip back to the village was one walked in complete silence. Alouette hadn't said a word to him the entire time, and Adell had no words to say. What _could _he say? He couldn't imagine what was going through the child's head. They had managed to get out of the city in one piece, but neither of them felt it was worth celebrating about at the moment. 

It had also started raining, a light drizzle before it started to pour. Strangely or not so strangely none of them were to bothered by it. Alouette's mood was a subdued one, she didn't even seem to be completely there either. Not that he blamed the poor girl.

_I don't understand. Why would someone even..? _Adell tried to make a bit more sense of the whole thing but none came. It had been a complete waste of life. _It hadn't even been necessary to use that kind of force, it wasn't like she was a threat to a bunch of trained knights._

When the two arrived at the village, they were in for another surprise. People seemed cheerful and happy about something. In fact, it looked like people outside the village were celebrating something or another. Large crowds were around, and Adell had to push himself through for himself and Alouette. They moved on their own like he had a bomb when they saw the body and they noticed Alouette.

They also seemed to be blocking the way to the little girls house, this was starting to piss Adell off. The whole thing was starting to get him irritated, even the people just breathing started to annoy him, he wanted to break his fist agaisnt someone's face. "What's going on?" He asked, or rather snapped at the nearest person.

"The Cleansing." The man smiled. "The soldiers have gotten rid the house and purified the land. It was his sin for housing and protecting that child that caused them his fate. W-what is it doing here?"

Adell realized he was referring to Alouette and growled. "Get the hell out of the way." Losing his temper, he moved him by force, and any other by pushing them aside as they went further along until they saw what used to be Alouette's house. It was half burnt away, only about a few parts actually still stood. Ashes's covered most of the rest of the house and hardly anything was really left of it.

The blonde-haired girl slowly walked up to the house and fell to her knee's. "Grandpa..." Her body felt weak and began to shake lightly with her sobs. Until this point, the atmosphere of the village had been one of calibration. They had gotten rid of the parents that protected the evil child, but the same child was crying just like any other child. She didn't kill anyone, she hadn't shrugged off her grand parents death or place a curse on them. They just stared almost dumbly.

Adell gently put the body of Alison down on the ground. He felt himself get angry and smashed his fist agaisnt the ground hard enough to make cracks through out the whole area. "What are you people starring at?!" The people scattered and left, leaving Adell and Alison alone for the moment anyway.

Slowly, he went over to Alouette who clung to him once he got close enough. Adell let her get it out of her system, nothing could be said, there was nothing to say.

* * *

Authors Notes: Sheesh, I had to think for that one. I hope I didn't make it to corny, these scenes aren't my strong point but oh well. Just some for your information, when ever Culotte is around he'll give his point of view and two cents on things: inspired by the game and a well done fic I read. There's about two more chapters then this Arc is finished(We'll, if you don't count the POV thing I promised, just one) On the 12/13/06 my net will be cut off, so I won't update for a while. We'll, read and review, and give some C&C when you can. 


	8. No Turning Back

**Authors Notes: **Since I won't be able to come on for a while. I decided to end this Arc early, so here's the first of the few POV that closes the chapter(Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night and end up tossing and turning). Short and sweet.

* * *

_It's kind of funny now that_ _I_ _really think about it. Coming here was all a mistake, something that just happened on pure chance alone, but I'm starting to think maybe I was supposed to come here. I've never been the type to believe in destiny, fate or any of that stuff, but I do believe in everything happens for a reason, including me coming here..._

_..Or maybe I'm thinking about it to much. It's only been about a few days and everything seems to have gone by in a blur. There were signs, of course. Little signals in my head that warned me the longer I stayed around Alouette and her family, the deeper I would get stuck in something bigger._

_I could have left easily that morning, but I didn't. I couldn't._

_There was another reason I stayed. It wasn't just to pay them back for taking me in that day, but something else, only I don't know what it is, yet. I'm hoping my own answers will come up eventually but only time will tell. Then, there was the trip to Valendris..._

_I hated that city. _

_All around me I saw things I wasn't used to seeing, people starving, children who were barely skin or bones or terribly sick, the seedy corruption. Back in Veldime, I saw at worse a ruined town, but they were hardly innocent, in fact the town had been home for a large group of rogue demons trying to overthrow Zenon so their leader could be Over Lord. But they had been crushed. I noticed that other people in that city had an empty look to them, like they lost their will to keep going or there was no point anymore. That's what I hated. The hopelessly, and the fact no one seems to care._

_I'm not sure what started the riot afterwards, but I'll never forget it even if I wanted to, its stuck in my head. Was that kind of force really needed to handle fighting? If anything they seemed to only make things worse for everyone, adding fuel to the fire. I still hate myself for not being to Do anything when it actually counted. I had to watch Alison die when Alouette had looked at me with that desperate look to help, and I couldn't do anything._

_Tch. Some hero I am. Can't even keep my promise anymore._

_This must have been what Kane felt like, my teacher. He always seemed tired, and worn out at times when he let his guard down. I never knew the full story, but he told me he used to work for an evil Over Lord and did many things he wasn't proud of. Kane said he was sick of killing and he was tired of violence in general. Now, I feel the same way. Tired._

_I don't understand how people can be so heartless. They were celebrating. It wasn't bad enough that Alouette had to lose both her grand parents on the same day, but the idea of those people acting like that makes me angry. It made me more angry when I saw that look in Alouette's face, she seemed like some of the life in her eyes died. _

_The people just stood there watching her cry in complete silence, it was like a light bulb had finally turned on and they realized that they might have made a mistake. They just stood like their brains had fallen out, unable to say or do anything. There had even been some armed people to finish the job thinking back about it, but they seemed to be lost, just like the others._

_I probably wouldn't hesitate acting violent to any of them if they provoked me, my patience is shot right now. Now it's just me and her. Looks like I'm the one that's going to have to look after her for now on until I sort everything out. I might have failed to keep her grand parents from dying, but I will keep my promise of watching out after her._

_I'm going to get us both out of here if it's the last thing I do, maybe I'll even take her back home with me..If I can find a way to get back home that is. It's to late for me to back out now, I have to ride this as it comes, it's the only thing I can do now._

_-Adell_


	9. Escape From Ziya

**Authors Notes: **We'll, what a surprise, I'm back already, knew It wouldn't have lasted that long. I hate using cheap AOL disc, but what ever works right? And thanks for my reviewers that are still following the story, otherwise I wouldn't have the energy to continue.

* * *

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Holt village was normally a peaceful mellow place to live, nothing much happened in terms of excitement from day to day after the curse that was placed upon them vanished. This time the peace was interrupted by a 'slight' problem that Gate Keeper had made. She had tried to send Adell to a friends place but instead miscalculated and he ended up somewhere else. Which, was probably the reason Adell's mother was holding the said Gate Keeper in an iron grip trying to choke her, or would have, if it wasn't for her husband.

"I kind of made a mistake." The now human Gate Keeper repeated meekly, rubbing her neck where she had been strangled earlier, she might have ended up a real ghost like one of the villagers had been if it weren't for someone stopping her.

"Burning something is a mistake. Falling downstairs is a mistake. Sending _my _boy in some unknown dimension is Not a mistake you ditzy hussy!" She wondered how she even passed the test, Gate Keeping after all was a complex art, it wasn't just learning how to boil water.

"Now, now honey. I'm sure this can all be settled peacefully. It was all just a misunderstanding.." The husband trailed off when she glared at him, causing him to sweat and retract his statement. "Uh. I mean, just ignore me. Forget I said anything." His wife _really _scared him sometimes when she was angry. At least with the curse, it prevented this side of her from popping up, he had almost forgotten.

It wasn't that the young Gate Keeper liked being called names, but she wasn't going to say anything bad back to this crazy woman. "We can find him. It'll just take a month, so I just need a bit more ti-"

"A whole month?!" She interrupted, "He could be in some back water world with cannibal women for all we know. I can't just wait here for a month, I'm going to bring him back myself." She was a Summoner, it would take a bit of work but she would bring him back. Now, if only she could get the right materials.

"N-now don't be rash dear." Ignoring her husband, she went into the house with him following close behind. A few of the local villagers, two men had gotten out of her way once she had gotten near, not wanting her wrath to go towards them.

"Almost forgot she got like this sometimes before the curse." One of the men said.

"Yeah. But you know what they say, right? Hell hath no fury."

"Like a woman's?"

The other man shook his head. "No. Like a mothers."

* * *

Croix found that the situation was an ironic one. He found himself helping some demons instead of humans, and he was a demon hunter. But then that begged the question; who were the demons this time around?

So now he found himself in their home, the very same beings he was supposed to destroy that had supposedly been terrorizing the village. But now that he was here, and he was getting to briefly get acquainted with them, he was rethinking the whole thing. The boy they had saved, Ajari he was sure his name had been was sleeping. It was just himself, Kinta and the boy's mother talking in the kitchen. Croix decided he would talk a bit more before coming to another decision.

"I'll be honest with you." Croix didn't drink out of his cup that had been offered to him, it didn't feel right to do it. Kinta watched from the corner silently not saying anything unless it was important. "I came here to deal with some demons that the villagers said attacked them. But, lets just say I'm not exactly on happy terms with the empire or the villagers. So, I want to hear your side of the story. Who attacked who first, and how did it start?"

"Before they settled down here, it was just us, me and my son. At first they didn't bother us, but once they found where we lived and that we weren't human, they tried to attack us numerous times." The mother looked at Kinta then back at Croix. "I'm not a warrior, I can't fight. Kinta is the one who's been fighting them off each time they attacked."

"Did you kill any of them?" Croix's question was directed towards the silent Ninja, who besides giving a simple shake of her head said nothing.

"Any of them that have died have been killed by the demon you and Kinta destroyed. It won't really stop them from attacking us regardless."

"So, why don't you just move then?" So far, most of the stuff he had heard from Kinta but some of the information was new to him. After hearing the story, and seeing it for himself for the first time, he already came up with a plan of what he was going to do to throw the priest off.

"Ajari is sick." She took a deep breath. "A rare plant called Shalkari grows here that helps soothe the pain and slow the..process down. With out it, he would die within a few months."

_I've heard of that name. _"Shalkari? Look, its none of my business but there is some Shalkari that grows south from here. It's a bit isolated to, so you would be able to get Lior off your backs for a while."

"South you say?" The mother's eyes looked thoughtful and her gaze fell onto her sleeping son before turning back, coming to an decision. "If your telling the truth, then we'll go. But how do I know your not lying to get us to leave?"

"That's a good question." **_So, remind me why she Should trust you?_** _Shut up! _Croix had been hearing that voice again, the same voice of his dark half: The Dark Prince. It had been silent until recently, and that's what terrified him, he had no idea what was going on. Prier and him had banished the darkness in his heart, so why could he still hear it?

"..Are you all right?"

"Sorry I just thought of something that's all." Croix said quickly, shrugging off the woman's question, because he wasn't sure if he was all right himself. "You don't. I could be lying, and unfortunately I don't have anything I can do or say at this point to convince you otherwise. But if I'm telling the truth, you will get the people off your back either way."

"It doesn't seem like we have to many options at this point, and I don't want Kinta getting hurt anymore then she has to anymore. We'll go." She sighed. "Our home has been here so long, but its time for a new start. ..If your telling the truth, thank you."

Croix frowned. Looking into his cup."Don't thank me just yet, besides I'm just doing my job. My..employer will start to ask questions if I don't bring some things back as proof I've done my end of the deal. So, do you have anything I could use?"

"Hang on." The hunter waited patiently for the woman to return, he didn't bother trying to start small talk with Kinta in the meantime. Neither seemed like they liked small talk much to begin with much anyway. A whole five minutes had passed before she came back with what looked to be simple small box, but when he took a look at it, it was empty.

"What can I-" His sentence was cut off when suddenly, claws and other stereotypical things people thought a demon would have, but it vanished soon after. "What is this?"

"A simple illusion spell was put on it, by a friend. If you show it to whomever it should work, it only faded away so quickly because I just wanted to show you. Will that do?" She asked soon after.

"It'll do." Croix rose from his seat. "I better get going, and you two, or three should probably get leaving soon to. If I stay much longer they might start wondering what happened to me." Saying some quick good byes, he left the small house in preparation he mentally prepared himself for all the questions the villagers would ask him when he got there.

"Wait."

Surprised, he turned around to see Kinta walking towards him, the wounds that he had reopened up earlier from their scuffle didn't seem to bother her that much anymore. "Let me come with you, just for a short while. You see, I have this code I go by. You helped me save Ajari, so I'll help you."

Croix had gotten used to the whole 'lone wolf' and fighting along side other people was something he hadn't literally done in years. It might be nice to have someone capable watching his back again, besides if he heard right it wouldn't be to long. "After seeing how you can handle yourself in a fight, I don't mind. Welcome to my world of cold food and worse whether, it might just grow on you."

The young woman shifted, slightly uncomfortable or seemed to be. "Where are we heading right now then?"

"To the village." Croix already began walking towards the area, he wasn't looking forward to it but he wanted to get it over with.

"I'll wait for you to finish. I don't get along with them so well."

"Suit.." He turned around and saw she disappeared, the space she had been was nothing but some leaves floating gently to the ground. "Yourself." He finished and decided it wasn't an big issue, she could probably find him easy enough on her own when he was done, he thought so anyway.

* * *

The village seemed to be quite excited about something, once Croix got there that is. All the people were talking to one another animatedly about something, they didn't even notice his arrival at first until he got closer. The village chief was the first one to greet Croix and congratulate him on his successful 'hunt'. Everyone else was to busy with what ever had attracted their interest at this point.

"Ah. Sir Croix. I take it the hunt is done with?" He prompted coming closer.

"Yes. They won't be bothering you anymore." Croix reached into one of his always handy spare pockets showing him the claw of the other demon he and Kinta had defeated. "It took a bit of work but I managed to take it down. What's all the fuss about?"

"Many families are just happy to have their children back from the foul monsters, it was a miracle of the Goddess herself that you found them in time." The chief's eyes turned towards one small house in particular. "Our blessings have been quite high today. An Angel has appeared before us, one of our own boys saw the man appear in a flash of white heavenly light."

_Angels..? Must be something else. Real Angels, they don't exist, do they? With all the things I saw years back, wouldn't be surprised, but I won't give it much thought yet. _"So, this man that appeared, you think he's an Angel?"

"We know for sure, people claim to have seen his wings when he was seen the first time." The older man(looks wise anyway) said excitedly. "A true miracle! The Goddess must have sent him to us to bless our land and keep the demons away. But, he specifically asked for your presence. Seems he wants to talk to you."

"Oh?" Croix's interest had risen a great deal, this was starting to get interesting. If nothing else it would give him an excuse to get away from the man's babbling. "Does he have a name?"

"He didn't say, you would have to ask the Holy One. He's in that building waiting for you."

Giving a simple quick thanks just to be off, Croix went towards the building where he would meet his mystery host. Some questions were already in his head. While he doubted it, what if this person was a genuine Angel? If that was the case, why would one want to speak with him? He became anxious as his hand slowly turned the knob of the door, slowly opening it.

It was a bit dark inside the house, but he could make out a figure sitting down on a long table alone. The solitary figure was a young man in his twenties, with dark black hair and the same colored eyes from the look of it. His clothing was slightly odd to Croix, only because he wasn't used to it, and to him it was a bit bizarre to him and he had seen his fair share of odd clothing on his travels. One thing that immediately caught his eye soon afterwards were a pair of white feathery wings from the man's back.

No doubt about it now. He was either an Angel or something else.

"Please close the door."

Croix barely heard the man as he closed the door, he was very soft-spoken but it somehow had a strong feeling to it, something he didn't think possible. A small amount of silence passed between the two, and he wasn't sure if it was the comfortable silence or the awkward kind. It wouldn't do just to stare as he sat down on the other end of the table. But he didn't have to say anything, because the stranger spoke first.

"I know who you are Croix." He stated calmly, continuing as he felt Croix unconsciously tense up from a number of emotions. "I'm Lamington. An Angel, and a Seraph from a place called Celestia, but that's unimportant. I need your help, if you'll listen to me."

It took about a minute for Croix to regroup himself mentally, thinking his words carefully as the Angel waited with never wavering patience. How much did he really know about him? He didn't like the fact he seemed to know information about him when he hadn't met him before. But if he was an Angel, let alone an Seraph, from what he heard it would have made sense.

Not that it made it much more easier to Croix that is.

"You need help? With what?" Thankfully, his shades kept his eyes hidden which sometimes betrayed his face by giving away what he was really thinking. Somehow, he didn't think it would help either way. The man had this bigger then life kind of aura, and he didn't really have adept sensing abilities like Alouette had..

"Do you remember Alouette?" Lamington never changed his tone as he talked for the most part but he managed to keep it from becoming monotone as well. "Before you ask, she is alive." Seeing the disbelieving that betrayed Croix's face he went on. "Perhaps not exactly the same, but alive yes. She was reborn as a little girl with no memories of her past. It has to do with a number of strange events I'm sure you noticed."

"I won't tell you the full story here, but a little later if you choose to help me. Alouette life may be in danger, I need you to help me find her. If we find her, then maybe I can find out the key to this whole mess. You see, in a way she is somehow is responsible for some of the strange events happening. It's that reason forces will want to..get rid of her. In any way they can."

"Forces? What kind of forces?" Croix's focus didn't leave Lamington the moment he had mentioned the word 'Alouette'. If there was a chance, even a small one that he was telling the truth and it wasn't a lie or a trap, he had to take it.

"That's, what I intend to find out. At the moment I don't know as much as I would like. Right now, the only thing we can do is stumble into the dark until we have a better grasp of the situation." The Angel's face etched into a frown for a moment. "It's frustrating even if it can't be helped. Do you still want to help? The choice is up to you."

"You've got yourself a deal." He had already made up his mind a bit earlier before he had finished the story. "I just have give something to someone as an act of good faith, I don't want the headache of fighting the empire. You don't mind if someone else tags along?"

"Not at all."

"Good. You probably should hide your wi-" Croix's sentence was cut off the second time that day(or third) when Lamington's wings seemed to 'fold' into his back, giving him the look of a normal human. Strange clothing aside.

"Never mind." It seemed he had a few things or two to learn about Angels after all.

* * *

Burying was something Adell never thought he would have to do himself, and it was a task that was every bit as draining as fighting Zenon, maybe in some ways more so. Each time he had put the body deeper into the soil, he felt like he was losing something and he wasn't sure what it was It had been done with one of the few remaining objects, a shovel, ironically.

He hadn't bothered trying to find Bernard's body, none of them had seen it so it was assumed the fire had gotten a hold of it. Honestly, Adell didn't want to find it and he didn't want Alouette to either, she didn't need to see that after everything else. The burial 'service' had taken place some ways away from that village, it would have almost been an insult to do it there. The whether had gotten a bit better and it had stopped raining for the most part but the ground was still very much wet and muddy.

Alouette hadn't said a word through the entire thing.

The actual process was done a few minutes ago yet there was still a silence between the two. Alouette due to the fact she was still in shock and Adell because he was still mad at himself. After another minute the martial artist retrieved a small locket from his pocket, it was another sole item that survived the fire. The edges were black from being burnt but it wasn't to bad all things considering.

Adell walked over, holding it out for her."Here. I found it, but I think you should hold onto it."

For a moment, she didn't register right away but eventually took the small thing into her equally small hands. She opened the inside of the locket showing a picture of herself and her grandparents, though in the picture Alouette seemed younger. They all seemed happy, even Bernard with his typical expression on his face.

"The people most close to you never leave you." Adell was watching the fresh grave's he made side by side as the soft wind blew his red hair to the side lightly. "They'll always be in your heart."

"My heart..?" Alouette questioned softly.

"Yeah." He walked closer to the little girl before pointing directly towards her heart after crouching down so he was eye level with her. "There. As long as you don't forget them, every time you remember them they'll always be there."

She frowned lightly. "I don't understand..."

_Saw that coming. How to explain..? I've never had to do this before. _Adell brain stormed but decided it wasn't time to be using his head, instead he would just speak from the heart, that came natural enough. "Take me for example. I don't know what its like to lose parents." _None that I know anyway. _"But I have lost friends before."

Alouette didn't say anything else; he had gotten her attention.

"I was sad to. But if there is one I've learned is that people you love and care about never completely leave you. Even when they die, you still have your memories of them. Being forgotten, is as bad or worse then dying. Because to be forgotten, it means no one cared enough to remember." Adell put the locket on Alouette properly, making sure it was around her neck and snapped on. "When you think of them, try to think of the happy times you had with them, okay?"

If Adell said it would help, then she would do it."Okay."

He gently got a napkin and gave it to her."Good. Now get that snot out of your nose, your to cute for that." It was a simple lame joke but it had gotten Alouette to smile for a second if nothing else and that's all that mattered.

"You won't leave me like grandma and grandpa...?"

"No. I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Adell responded sincerely. "I made myself a promise to, and that was I would get you out of here. Were going to try to head to this Parprica place, so we'll be leaving Ziya soon."

Despite the harsh treatment she had received from being born here, the thought of leaving the only place she knew terrified her in more ways then one. Alouette didn't want to go. _I need you to be brave for me ok? _She could almost hear her grandmothers voice again and it made her reluctantly go along with it. Alouette had promised Alison she would be brave, even if she was a bit scared.

"Finally found you two."

The voice came from Damien, Adell recognized him from Valendris city, the same person who had gave him directions to find Nero. He walked with a slight limp, his leg dragged softly along the ground, another new feature was his right arm; it was broken in a sling. His whole appearance was one that had gotten pretty thrashed.

Damien took a few slow steps more towards them before stopping, looking tired as he spotted the two new graves. "..So, they're really are gone.." It was a crushing blow to him as well, Alison had been the only person who had given him a job and a fresh start of life when he was a teenager when he was in one of Valendris city gangs. He even missed Bernard for his smart, if not painfully blunt wisdom he had gathered over his long years. If not for them and their kindness of giving him a chance instead of writing him off as hopeless cause, he'd be dead by now. But at the moment, he might as well have been.

Words caught in Adell's throat. He was about to say something but nothing came out, nothing seemed like the _right _thing to say. Maybe, there really wasn't a right thing to say. He doubted the common phrases he always heard really eased someone in their grieving anyway.

"It's just you and the little lady now, isn't it?" Damien's sentence wasn't a question. "I never thought..they'd leave us like this.." His face turned expressionless for the longest time as he looked at the two piles of dirt then looked back at Adell, walking closer and getting something from his pocket with his good arm.

Five pieces of strange red-colored gems stood in his hand.

"What is this?" Adell didn't hesitate asking.

"My savings. I was using them to help pay for all of us to get out of Ziya. But I never really got the chance, since The Cleansing started earlier then expected, I never got the chance to save up completely. I just have enough for two people, take it." His hand was still out stretched with the money in hand.

"I can't ta-" Adell started then stopped. This was the safer way to getting Alouette out of here in one piece, he may not have liked it, but it was the best choice at the moment. Reluctantly, he took it from his hand putting it away. "All right, where do we go then?"

"I'd tell you, but I rather take you myself. It's a somewhat long trip anyway." Damien already began in the other direction, stopping for a moment. "Come on. We have to move now, once they get wind that they missed Alouette, they'll hunt for her. Besides, the little one needs some new clothes as do you or both of you will get sick. I have a place or two we can lay low."

Adell couldn't deny that bit of logic. The cold didn't bother him to much, since at times Kane forced him to train in harsh whether. At that time, he hated him for that but as he got older he was glad he had been put through it. He didn't have to say anything to Alouette to get going, because once he started following Damien, she wasn't to far behind him.

* * *

It being a 'somewhat' long trip was a flat out lie. It was a long trip. Period. The forest seemed to drag on forever until they finally got clear of it. By that time, Alouette had become very tired, so as not to slow them down to much, Adell had to carry her the rest of the way there. Times like these he was grateful for his unnatural strength, the child might as well been a tiny doll for as much as she weighed in his arms at the moment. He could do this for a few hours before getting tired.

The only problem was if they got attacked by any monsters. Fortunately, it seemed the monsters and demons had taken a break and went on vacation for all the activity and trouble they gave the group, which was none. Adell might have worried about it earlier on, but at the moment he had bigger concerns.

Damien said they were almost there, but Adell wasn't sure if he believed him this time or not but he did mention that the hide out was located in the mountains, and that's where they were at. He wasn't sure if this place was anywhere near Valendris, but he doubted it. It would have been beyond stupid to go any where near that place at the moment. The riots might have cooled down, but it was probably crawling with soldiers by now.

"Were here. Welcome to a small place away from most prying eyes." Damien's voice filled with confidence as he introduced the two to the small settlement. It could scarcely be called a village, only about five normal houses, and in the middle stood a large structure which purpose escaped Adell. A few statues dotted along the area, and they ranged in size, appearance and shape. All of this was completed with a large view that only could be appreciate from a mountain top.

Alouette was a bit to out of it at the moment to really react to where they were, she just wanted to go to sleep but it was hard doing that in the cold. The wet clothes were starting to get to her and the fact there was a light breeze wasn't helping either. Adell on the other hand was pretty impassive on the outside, though in the corner of his mind the place was kind of neat.

Walking with the same tired limp, Damien lead them to one of the small houses and had to fumble trying to find his key for a moment. It almost slipped and fell from his wet hands, but he got a hold of it before opening the door, which gave a creak of old hinges being moved. Inside was smaller then even Alison's place had been, a living room with a couch, a kitchen followed by a private room.

"It's not pretty but it will do." He said apologetically to Adell. "I got some blankets, and a few pillows but that's about it."

"As long as it's a place to sleep, I have no reason to complain." _Still very small though. _Adell laid his charge on the couch, who didn't as much stir besides moving to her side. An small observation he had made in his short time knowing her was that Alouette liked her sleep. He saw some worn out but clean blankets nearby and used them to cover her up.

"I have a room you can sleep in. It's normally mine but.."

"No it's fine. It's your house. Besides.." Adell glanced at Alouette. "I rather sleep nearby on the floor anyway, just to keep an eye on her. Just, wondering, what was that building in the middle? It didn't really look like an house."

"Suit yourself." Damien shrugged his massive shoulders. "That building is an Inn slash bar. A lot of interesting characters go to and from that place. If I remember right, usually the Air Pirates come around here for a round of drinking."

"..Air Pirates..?" Adell repeated, it didn't even sound right. Water, but air?

"You'll see." The bigger man slapped him on the back chuckling before going into his room leaving the two to rest up.

_Better not_ _think about it to much, besides I'm used to strange things..sort of. _Adell curled a blanket around himself leaning his back agaisnt the couch as he tried to sleep. He knew he would have a stiff neck in the morning by the time he woke back up.

* * *

In what looked like an abandoned castle stood three people. They all seemed to be in an area that was used as a church, old red cracked windows along with statues of long forgotten deity's of lesser known religions. Ancient benches barely stood, some were cracked, while others went down half way; it's other side missing the vital leg to keep it afloat.

A man, probably in his thirties stood rigid and alert. He had white hair and a strange dark color in his eyes. He wore something similar to a male version of a kimono, in terms of appearance. But there were variations in the clothing that set it apart. His most distinct feature was his six wings, three on each side, white, transparent and unearthly.

Sitting on one of the benches was a man with orange hair and eyes, he seemed bored as he cleaned his Scythe with a towel, ignoring the talking as much as he could and wore dark clothing. His other companion seemed the same way. In comparison to the other two, he was 'normal'. Having a dull brown color for both his hair and eyes. To pass the time, he was busy kicking a pebble up, catching it with foot before throwing it up again, like nothing important was going on at the time.

"This is a grave serious matter, I expected even you two to act more seriously then this." The winged man's voice was very agitated.

"Chill pops. It's not that big of a deal." He caught the pebble with his foot again, and frowned when it slipped. "That's why you called me and Larius, to handle what ever it is right Xiaver?"

"That's not the point!" Xiaver exploded at the two's carelessness before taking a deep breath before calming down. "Melvil. Larius. It grieves me a great deal to say this, but your services are needed."

"Aren't they always." Melvil muttered as he cleaned his weapon. He wished the High Celestial would just go away, he hated his arrogant attitude and high and mighty self. What he wouldn't do to stick his weapon in his head.

Ignoring him he went on. "Regardless, it's part of you're job. You two are apart of the Fate Organization, which means you have to deal with manners we can't always do ourselves. Do you two half wits recall the latest Maiden of Light Alouette?"

"Who hasn't?" Larius responded, stopping his game of keeping the small rock in the air. Melvil said nothing but shook his head, he knew what was coming next.

"..There is a problem. For one reason or another, she's been reincarnated as a little girl." The High Celestial began. "Not normally either, even the council didn't notice until recently. In theory, because she hasn't been reincarnated the proper way, she would have not only the Light powers she had before she died, but also the same power twice over, sense her old powers never faded away. Meaning, she would be twice as strong as she was before she had died. Of course, she's just a child now so she won't be able to do much now, anything will be on instinct and no control."

"So what do you want us to do?" Melvil drawled.

"Get rid of her. If anyone gets in the way, use force if needed but take any risk. We can't allow for her to continue living, it would throw the whole Maiden of Light cycle completely off."

"Wait. What's the point of that of new Maiden's of Light if there's no more Dark Prince. Your not telling us something." Melvil pressed, though he expected no answer.

"That. Is private information." Xiaver statement was short and to the point. "Certainly not information that would be shared with riff raff such as yourself. Don't get to big headed, you two are good but there are plenty of members of the Fate group. If I see you two not doing you're job, I'll have you both...removed."

"So basically, we do Heaven's dirty work but we don't get to ask questions?" Larius yawned a little, still not bothered. "Fine with me. Pay's the same."

"Exactly. I expect you to take care of this matter in a reasonable amount of time." Xiaver tone was matter-of-fact, like common information they should all know. "Here is what she looks like in her current state." He handed the picture to Larius before he handed to Melvil.

He looked at the picture for a long time, then threw it in the air as a silver slash that was barely visible even to people with enhanced vision. Seconds later, the photo turned to smaller pieces of paper, having been cut. Melvil held his hand out as he took some of the pieces into his hand looking at it. "Sorry kid. Nothing personal but it's our job."

* * *

** Authors Notes: **The plot thickens..sort of. Anyway here's some food for thought of the day. You know how Laharl, Flonne and Etna are one-thousand or more years old yet their kids? If that's the case, then shouldn't Rozalin, Adell (assuming those were his parents) and Yukimaru still be kids? Because they seemed to age normally. Just a small thing I always noticed.


	10. Bad Omens?

**Authors Notes: **Not much to say this time, surprisingly. Just one thing I'll give you a heads up on. In this chapter, another Nippon Ichi Character will make a brief appearance. (Neither Disgaea or La Pucelle) But it will only be him so don't worry if you don't know who he is. One thing I'd like to point out now, there will be _No_ Pairings(Not counting original chars). This is because romance isn't really my thing, and it sometimes brings down stories. However, the chance it happens in the future will be on random and not pre-picked. I'd like the chars to decide so it doesn't seem forced. This fic is more focused on story anyway, we'll enough of that.

* * *

Tired didn't even begin to describe what lady Ayame was feeling. It was more along the lines of someone forcing her to run a thousand laps, and then told her she had a two second break. Not that she was complaining. We'll maybe a little. This is what she had wanted right? To prove herself a capable leader while Seraph Lamington was away on his business.

Still, she could do with out all the paper work and other headaches.

Tomorrow was the annual festival that they celebrated. Each year around this time would make the day when supposedly their ancestors came from Heaven to finally settle down and make a place of their own, leaving their own mark. It was an legend, and it happened so long ago that not even the oldest Angels couldn't recall it. Then again in old age they could scarcely recall their own names these days.

Only this time, it would be open to humans and demons. That was stress enough in itself.

_This means I'll have to try to keep the peace by being more alert. This is part of Lamington's plan but it's trouble waiting to happen._ Her eyes felt droopy and her head began to dip as she nodded off, head first agaisnt her desk behind a mountain of paper work, her purple hair scattered around in a mess. The Arch Angel was so tired, she unconsciously almost drooled.

"Lady Ayame, Alterra wishes to see you."

With a snort, she woke up, her sensitive hearing picking up one of her vassals voice. She realized with a tinge of disgust she had almost drooled, plus she had snorted slightly upon waking up. _Not very lady like. No one will take me seriously if they think I'm some sloppy slob._

"Tell her to come in." She straightened her uniform and tried to compose herself. A blonde-haired woman came inside, holding a small blanket wrapped around a baby, barely a month old from the look of it. Along side her was a rather unremarkable young man, he seemed to be in his twenties-which looked slightly older then Alterra. It was her husband. Kojiro. If she remembered his name right.

"So what brings you two here?" Ayame liked Alterra and Kojiro, they were good people. Alterra was an a high-ranking Angel soldier that had pretty much retired and Kojiro was a human that was part of EDF (Earth Defense Force) and still is..or was until he was laid off. She didn't know the complete details but over the four years since the truce had started between the three worlds they fell in love. It didn't seem long before they were married on Celestia and had a child, little Zoe.

"I just wanted to see if you were all right. You have been pushing yourself far to hard since Master Lamington left on his business. And you have been stressing far to much over the festival, I'm sure it will be fine. Is Prince Laharl coming?"

As the Angel soldier talked to Ayame and Kojiro stood in the background letting them converse; Zoe got curious of her surroundings. Her purple hair matched her eyes, which were soaking up the things around her. She didn't know who these strange big people were or what they were talking about, being to young to understand the world around her. Still, she wanted attention from her mother. She grabbed one of her blonde locks that got in her small line of vision, and pulled with her tiny hands.

"Ouch. Please don't do that to mommy." Alterra hadn't _really _been hurt by it of course, but it was obvious the baby was likely going to inherent her mothers strength later on.

"Yes, if you feed his ego he's not so bad." Ayame repeatedly told herself she didn't like babies or kids, the thought of having one of her own scared her wingless. But when her friend showed Zoe so she could see her and she got a good look at her, some heart strings were pulled. Part of her told herself to stop acting like one of those elder female Angels, she wasn't going to become one of them, cackling old hens swooning over babies. Nope. Not her. Not _this _Arch Angel.

But damn it the little imp was cute.

"What is that?"

Blinking once, she realized the only male in the room spoke and her gaze followed where he was looking. Out the window, it was raining. This wasn't anything to worry about, and for a moment she wondered if Kojiro had gotten sick. As much as Earth had rapid changes in weather, surely he saw it at least a few times in his life.

Then it started to change.

Gradually, the water changed in color, shifting to a deep crimson, the same color as the Red moon almost. Ayame, and the rest were completely at a lost of what to make of it. Lamington wasn't kidding when he said how serious the situation could get if it dragged on to long.

Suddenly, the other things that had been bothering the Arch Angel Ayame seemed trivial.

* * *

Two young women were playing a game of cards, each of their faces gave nothing away as they tried to get the best of their opponents. Instead of chairs, they used some unfortunate Prinnies, who were sweating bullets nervously. The discomfort of those lost souls was lost on the two card players though. Only the game existed, nothing else would break up their concentration.

The red-head of the group seemed a bit older then her slightly more pink-haired companion on the other side. Anyone coming in would have recognized Etna almost instantly, being a well-known personality. Hanako, the younger one was a slightly different story. She was a newbie compared to Etna when it came to being a Lord, and she wasn't as well-known. This was made up for the fact that she sucked up information like a sponge and was a quick learner. It didn't help Etna was rubbing off on her, either.

"I win."

Hanako would have been annoyed about losing for the sixth time that day, but she admired her to much to let it last for to long. The smug tone was to be expected as her teacher dragged the chips they were betting on to herself. In boredom they played cards to pass the time when Laharl wasn't screaming at them to do something.(Or get the local Succubus away from him)

Since there was virtually nothing to bet on this time around, they decided to gamble with the Prinny squads savings. They would get their money back.. Some of it anyway. Hanako and Etna thought they were doing the Prinnies a favor anyway, they'd waste it on drinks and parties. That wasn't a good way to get to the Red Moon now was it? So they did some community service by 'borrowing' their savings every once in a while. A pocket full of Hell and nothing to do were sinnings best friends.

"It's so boring around here lately." Hanako said after a while. Sure there had been some strange things going on lately but nothing that involved them. Laharl had even run out of crazy ideas to do, but knowing him it wouldn't take long for him get restless enough to try just about anything. Which is why they played cards most of the time, to break the slowness of the day.

"Aww, cheer up. Something will happen soon." Rarely, if ever did she see Etna depressed or down, or even bored. Hanako had no idea what made her tick and went on in her head, but maybe some things were better left unknown.

"How do you know?"

"Just watch. 1,2, 3-"

"ETNA! HANAKO! NOW!"

Just like a cue to a script, Laharl had yelled for them. Etna had ungodly amount of timing.

No matter how many times Etna did it, Hanako would never get how she was able to predict when the prince was going to 'request' their presence for something. Something else she was going to be sure to learn down here.

Not the least bit worried about the potential wrath of an Over Lord, Etna almost seemed bored as she put both hands behind her head walking out of the room with her apprentice following close behind."See? What did I tell ya? It's all about reading people Hanako, the more you know them the better."

When they got Laharl's room, he was pacing back and forth, obviously bothered or restless about something. He hadn't changed much in four years, physically that is. He still had the scrawny body of a preteen boy, a look that hid the ridiculous amount of power he had for someone his age.

"Someone sent me..Distasteful magazines of women. I can't go back into my bed room now." Laharl had chosen his words carefully since Etna was in the room, knowing she would say something smart. He should have known by now that it wouldn't have mattered.

A cat-like grin crossed Etna's face. She had an idea of what 'distasteful' kind of magazine it was, there wasn't much that would in magazines that would make him yell like that. "Don't worry about it Prince. It's perfectly natural as you get older in puberty to have get rid of you're urges you know."

Face turning red(from embarrassment or anger or both was anyone's guess) "Shut up Etna." He snapped with his always clever and final come backs. "I want that..smut out of my room. An proper Over Lord doesn't need those magazines."

Hanako wondered how Etna was one of the few people who could get away with saying things to Laharl with out some sort of injury. She had come to the conclusion that was just how they bonded, like a brother and sister kind of thing. "Why can't Flonne do it?" She didn't want to see what Laharl saw, either.

"She almost went into shock when she saw one of them. She's in her room." Laharl calmed down, for once his whole demeanor changed to being slightly more serious, for a moment anyway. "I got this letter from the Arch Angel Ayame. It's about some festival or something."

"And..? Are we going?" Both of his vassals expected him to say no.

"Of course _were _going. There's going to be a tournament and free food. You can't have a tournament with out me!" Any chance for him to show off was always good in Laharl's book, then there was the fact he was a bit greedy and ate many times his body weight. It was those two incentives: Food and Fighting that made him go. Plus something else that made him make up his mind.

Secretly, both Hanako and Etna thought another factor was that Flonne was home sick so the Prince could use the festival as a crutch so it would look like a mere coincidence but none of them voiced that. Clever, as far as Laharl went.

"We'll leave soon." Laharl was about to head to his room but stopped in mid-step, remembering why he had ran out of there in the first place. "..But first you two need to get those..things out of my room." Every time he said it got an image in his head which made his bones go cold.

Everyone had a weakness, vampires had garlic and Werewolves had silver bullets, but it just happened that Laharl's had to be scanty clad sexy women. Anything worse then that was over kill to him.

"Oh. I was hoping you would forget. You have such a high pitched mannish scream Laharl." It wasn't Etna this time but Hanako, surprisingly that said it. The red-haired demon was proud her student was learning, now she would just have to see if Laharl would ignore it or blow up.

"Tch. You got guts saying that to me kid." Laharl said crossing his arms with a smirk, despite technically being a kid himself. "I hate guts. For that, _you'll _pick up the magazines by yourself. Etna, you'll clean the bathrooms. Now both of you get to work, I got to work on something before we leave."

* * *

About a few hours later, an unhappy Hanako went along for the trip. It wasn't the fact she had to do the work, we'll not all anyway. It was the simple fact she had lost the bet to Etna to see if the Prince would ignore the comment or say/do something to her. There went about fifty Hell down the drain. She was determined to have the last laugh though, if Etna taught her anything it was how to get back at someone.

Flonne was back in action by this time, having recovered and not wanting to miss the chance to see her home again. While cheerful and upbeat like her typical ditzy self, something was bothering her. Not something that was easy to tell if you didn't know you her, you had to know what to look for. The trip had almost been quick and painless, considering they didn't have to walk.

It had only been a pain for the Gate Keeper. Getting to Celestia to the Netherworld wasn't easy.

Not that Laharl cared, just as long as the ride was quick.

Even if the Prince wouldn't have admit it on his dying breath laying on a death bed as pale as a corpse, he was a bit worried about Flonne. However, he had interesting ways of showing it. Apparently, he showed his concern by taking out his frustration on his vassals, or what ever more convenient at the time.

Lucky for Etna and Hanako.

To tell the truth, Etna actually did like Flonne, but she like with everything else had odd ways of showing it. No one bothered to figure out what kind of logic went on in her head, and no one really wanted to, except maybe Aramis. But that was another story.

"Stop mopeing. You should be happy I even decided to come." In his own way, Laharl was trying to 'cheer' her up. Cute. Almost. Etna could almost strangle the prince at the moment for the unpleasant chore he gave her at the castle though.

"I-I'm not mopeing. I'm just excited." Anyone with half a brain and hadn't lived under a rock could tell Flonne was lying. Her skills with bending or hiding the truth were as much as her Ninja skills.

"Hmph. Couldn't have fooled me." Arms crossed over his small chest he focused on the gate in front of them, not asking Flonne anymore questions, for now anyway. That would soon change.

Two male Angel guards greeted the interesting group of three at an gate. Recognition showed on their faces when they saw Laharl, remembering him from those years ago. It was a look of contempt, not being to happy with losing with some demon child, prodigy or not. This in turn made Laharl's ego inflate his head like a balloon. Etna, would make it her duty to knock him down a peg or two to keep him grounded. She had those photo's of him still, after all. As well as other embarrassing things should he lose his head.

Many people thought Etna was completely careless, but that wasn't true. She was actually a very smart girl who knew how to plan, the ordeal of years ago when she worked for that vampire proved just that. Besides, she had promised King Krichevskoy that she would make sure his final request was fulfilled. She was many things, but not a liar, at least not to people she was that close to when she promised something.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you two are still sore about losing to me, I just did you a favor. If you get beaten by a kid, you don't really deserve to be Angelic Guards anyway." Laharl said smugly, he couldn't help it, the situation was to tempting not to.

"You're not a kid? You realize you technically insulted yourself right?"

"Good one Etna!" Hanako cheered on her teacher.

"_...!" _Came the wordless pissed off reply from Laharl, he couldn't think of a comeback as he glared back at Etna. So he went back with the bare basics. "Shut up. Both of you."

The guards kept straight faces the entire time, as they turned away, coughing. Easy to tell they were trying not to snickering before sombering up. "Lady Ayame was expecting you three, please come in."

"It's about time." Laharl muttered, as if they had taken an hour for them to let them through the gate when in reality it had taken only a couple of moments. Once they went through the gate, it was a different world.

The whole place seemed over-flooding with all kinds of people of various races. One of the first things that was different about Celestia was that it was a lot more decorated, upbeat one could call it, an sign it wasn't an normal day. Laharl watched impassively and even if he wouldn't admit it and didn't particularly care for it, it was impressive with the kind of work they had done. What did interest him was seeing people were obviously warriors among the crowd of normal-looking folk-relatively speaking anyway considering the kind of people that were here today.

Years back, he wouldn't have thought this was even possible. Humans, demons and Angels were just far to different, but then this had happened. Of course, Laharl for all his shortcomings was smarter then people gave him credit for. This was only a stepping stone, if things progressed or regressed was entirely up to people of the different worlds. Either way, it would give him an excuse to bust heads, whether in a tournament or in an actual fight he couldn't complain.

The Prince was seriously starting to question what Flonne could be worried about, the Love Freak should have been over joyed. Not only was she visiting home, but people were coming together with all that togetherness she always preached about. But she wasn't.

From the side he noticed a few Angel's actually scowl at Flonne. It was done discreetly but anyone who knew what to look for would have noticed it. They were wolfs in sheep clothing. That couldn't have been it? Had she been worried about how some Angels would think about her now that she was a Fallen? After all, Flonne never really got upset when she got insulted, usually.

So it had to be something else, the question was what?

Still Laharl was tempted to say or do something to them. He just couldn't think of an excuse that would be passable with out people getting the wrong ideas about him.

Flonne was the only one that knew who this Ayame person looked like, so they had to follow her but so far they hadn't come across her yet. It was annoying to Laharl when someone invited them and then they weren't even there to greet their guest? Granted, he did that sometimes but that didn't mean everyone else had to go by those standards, or lack of.

"Sorry for the wait." In typical clothing similar to what an Seraph would have worn came lady Ayame coming over to greet them, she did seem a bit tired for those who bothered looking close enough. "I'm Lady Ayame."

For the first time since coming here, the Fallen Angel seemed to have reverted back her normal self. She seemed excited to see her, as if she was some kind of celebrity. "Oh! I know you, I had posters of you on my wall. Hi I'm Flonne, I'm you're biggest fan." In her excitement though, she seemed to have forgotten about her other friends, she was in the same mood she got into when she watched Prism Rangers.

"And what was she famous for?" Etna, of all people asked. You could never tell with that girl, Hanako was quite, only because she was scheming something in that head of hers. Etna knew it was for payback, knowing her student well enough. The demon wasn't worried though, she liked the challenge.

With out really thinking what Ayame would have said or wanted to be known, Flonne blurted out the first thing that came to her head. "She's a famous warrior."

Arms still crossed, Laharl looked her over. She didn't really look like much, even if he himself didn't look threatening at all himself. He tried to get an decent reading of how strong she was by the flow of her Mana-an almost impossible task in someone's relaxed state. From what he could feel, it was a bit weaker then the Arch Angel before her.

"Famous warrior huh? You don't seem all that tough You sure you're an Arch Angel?" Never really one for tact, Laharl spoke bluntly like normal.

_Take a deep breath. It wouldn't do to fight small children. _Despite these thoughts, Ayame could feel herself become agitated but hid it well enough. It didn't help that this little kid was stronger then her, if he could throw down with the Seraph, then what could she do? Still, she had to be a decent host for this to work, spoiled brat or not.

"Yes I am." Recollecting herself she went on. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask, though I'm sure the main reason you're here is because of the tournament. It'll start soon enough, but in the meantime you can watch some or participate in some light sparring."

It seemed Laharl hadn't even heard most of what Ayame had said. But the moment he heard the word 'sparring' his interest went up and he payed attention to the conversation. Finally, something worth his time. Hopefully there wouldn't be to many weaklings there or at the supposed tournament. "Why didn't you just say so? Take us there."

Remembering one of Lamigton's exercisers to calm her mind, she smiled. An smile that hid the fact like most people she was a bit annoyed with kid Over Lord. "Of course..Follow me." The Arch Angel position was starting to look less and less attractive by the day.

As they followed Ayame, Etna went a bit closer to Flonne prodding her with small talk. She just wanted to figure out what the heck was wrong with her. And to see what it was, all she had to do was talk to her normally. Often times, people revealed things about themselves they hadn't even realized until later.

"You don't seem to be to happy about being back home." Etna said.

Not small talk, but hey the blunt approach had it's own advantages as well.

"I am..It's just.." Her facial expression faltered for a moment.

"Just what?" She pressed. _Maybe talking is all she needs to get this out of her system._

"It's just this day reminded me of something. It's both a happy and a sad day for me."

"Nice. But it's lacking things, y'know detail why you're so gloom?"

"Look were here. I can't wait to meet all the people. Maybe we can make some new friends." Etna could only blink once as Flonne dashed off towards an large open field were many people seemed to be practicing their combat skills. While it wasn't out of the ordinary for Flonne to do something like that, it also had peculiar timing. She hadn't even answered the demons word. It was almost like..

_She's avoiding the question? Flonne? _What could Flonne of all people, the cheery Angel was pretty open about her feelings and most aspects of her history, so what made this subject so sensitive she couldn't spill it? It was clever, for Flonne anyway to change the subject like that. Etna had saw this side to her only once before-the time she tricked the Prince to getting her pendant when she was an normal Angel.

Just when you thought you knew someone, they surprised you.

"Slow down! I didn't give you permission to run off!" Laharl's yelling went unheeded though, Flonne was already ahead trying to mingle with some of the people already there. Hanako like Etna could only guess what was going through her head. She wasn't to attached to her just yet but she knew her well enough to know she was acting strange today. Once leading them there, Ayame had said she needed to take care of something real quick and had left them alone for a minute.

Still, it was amusing to see Flonne irritate the Prince like that unintentionally. That alone was worth coming along this trip for.

Sour-faced, Laharl came over as did the rest. "What's got into you running off like that?"

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see if any of my old friends were here." Flonne said sheepishly.

"You never said anything about your old friends." Hanako piped up, not able to help add her two cents into the conversation.

"What ever." The Prince replied after a while, it wasn't that big of a deal. "Obviously, none of them are even here, so running off was pointless for the both of us. I hate to admit it, and Heaven might turn into an inferno, but I agree with Hanako. You never did mention your old friends, not that I care mind you. Just doesn't see like you not say anything about that."

_That's because she lied. _Etna could have joined in and put Flonne on the spot, adding that little bit of information but something stopped her. It was just a certain look in her eyes, it was a look only a person who went through the same type of thing the other went through. It was that moment when she surprisingly found an kindred spirit, of Flonne of all people. And it was at the same instant she thought agaisnt saying anything.

"Hey Prince, that guy looks pretty strong over there. I bet he can take you." Etna knew just what buttons to push.

"What? That weakling? Tch, probably not even worth my time." Laharl over-confidence was still there, big as his head at times. It hadn't made him go over but it did make him change the subject and Hanako seemed to have lost her train of thought. Flonne looked relieved, Etna could have sworn she mouthed a small 'thank you'. But that must have been the flowery smell of Celestia getting to her head to cause her to hallucinate.

Laharl could see two people in particular who looked like they were going to fight. Normally he would have preferred to jump right into the fray instead of watching. However, watching was entertaining as well. Besides, this way he wouldn't waste his time if they proved weak. "Come on. I want to see if this thing will be worth my notice."

The three stood silently as they watched two men by each other. One was Kojiro and the other was the Angel soldier Noria, the clothing and the color of it was a sign he was somewhat high ranking. His white hair and grey eyes made him stand out like a sore thumb, compared to the other man who had black hair and eyes. They stood along side each other but weren't fighting just yet, some others watched as well, out of boredom or just to see. Laharl just hoped he wasn't disappointed.

"Care to challenge me human?" Norias, at the moment almost sounded like Laharl with the arrogant tone of his voice. Kojiro didn't answer by saying anything, he only shook his head cleaning his blade.

"Nothing to say? Figures, your to much of a coward to say anything. Weak. Your blood is thin just like the rest of your race." Some of the other Angels were a bit appalled at his lack of manners, the demons were just wondering if they would come to blows and the few humans there just wanted Norias to get beat.

"..I don't have time for this." Kojiro muttered under his breath, getting up and slowly walking away.

"I wonder what Alterra was thinking when she married a human." His verbal jabs going ignored, Norias continued. "She could have become part of an noble family, marrying me. Instead she ended up married with a human. If that's not bad enough, you produced that half-breed child of yours."

He could handle insults directed to himself, but not his child. Kojiro stopped walking not turning around or saying anything at first. "Prepare yourself." No other warning came when the young man suddenly lunged forward with the fake practice sword with speed that surprised the Angel soldier, only briefly as he blocked with his own. Jab. Thrust. Parry. And the pattern became increasingly complex as Kojiro pushed his opponent, keeping the pressure on the whole time.

Laharl looked at the scene for a moment, studying and reading both of the combatants before coming to an early conclusion to the fight. "He can't beat that Angel." He said bluntly with finality to his voice.

"Why not? He's not even attacking back." Hanako wasn't nearly as experienced in fighting as even Flonne, and it showed.

If she was going to be a decent vassal, Laharl decided a very short explanation was in order. "Look at him. It's true he's pushing him back, but that's it. The thing is he's using up all his energy quickly and at once and he'll tire out. The Angel isn't even worried, notice his facial expression? He knows what he's doing." That said, it was still impressive he was able to give the Angel trouble at all, not to many humans could do that.

Just like Laharl had predicted, the fight began to go down hill for the other man. Norias took advantage of it and began reversing the situation, making him go on the defense this time around. It was only a short time before the soldier ran his weapon up his opponents sword, and twisted counter clock wise effectively disarming him. The fake blade went flying his hands and Norias pointed his by his throat.

"Dead." He said as Kojiro shrugged off the blade and went to retrieve his weapon. "How can you defend Alterra or you're mut if you can't beat me?"

Laharl had seen enough. It was time to act now, he would finally get to fight. "Hey, Angel. How about an Real challenge? Unless of course you're scared to fight me but that's ok. Just that would prove you're a hypocrite."

Norias was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he could back down and have others think even less of him. On the other, this was a fight he couldn't win if the stories of this child defeating Seraph Lamington proved to be true.

In the end, he chose pride over health.

"Fine. I'm ready when ever you are."

Laharl didn't really need any more prodding, instead he got one of the smaller practice swords and tested it before decided it was decent. No as good as his normal sword of course but it would do in this case, it shouldn't take the fight more then a few minutes anyway. The Prince stood with a smug expression as he waited for the Angel to make his first move, if he read him right he would know how to make him attack first with out even saying anything. Kojiro thought about going, but he wanted to see this, so he stayed, sitting down some feet away to watch what would happen.

Norias decided to test his child-like opponent, he started off by a few sword strikes, which Laharl easily, almost lazily avoided. As the Angel Soldier got an better idea of what his foe was capable of, he began to gradually start to pick up his pace. It didn't seem matter how fast he went, Laharl seemed to be able to dodge or block his blows with that smug expression never once changing on his face. The fact he hadn't even attacked back once really agitate the Angel, so much that he began to loose his cool.

_I'll teach him to stop toying with me. _Norias, in his anger wasn't completely thinking straight as he did the first thing that came to mind. If he couldn't get the Prince with an normal strike, he would channel his Angelic energy, hopefully it would get better results.

He never got the chance to complete what he was going to do.

Having since grown bored and having more 'important' things to do, the Over Lord wanted to end this boring fight and call it a day. Most people watching, even the non humans couldn't recall what had happened exactly next, it being to fast. A clash of the fake sword hitting something, an grunt and Norias hunched over out of breath with his weapon dropped were the only sign of anything happening. Laharl was a few feet away, disappointment written all over his face as went back to his vassals, discarding his current weapon as if it was a piece of trash.

"That was a complete waste of my time."

The fact a child beat an Angel Soldier, demon or not was making some of the humans and Angels feel a bit dumb founded, the demons just had their pride hurt that a mere child was able to defeat someone that they themselves couldn't. Out of all the surprised people, Kojiro was the most. So really, the stories of an child beating the Seraph that Alterra told him weren't just an exaggeration. It was true.

As Laharl came back, he notice Hanako over-so-grudgingly give up some Hell to Etna's patient out stretched hand. She had probably just lost another bet no doubt, but he didn't really want to know what it was about this time.

"Laharl that was over board you could have hurt him bad." Like normal, Flonne was ever the peace-maker. Or maybe in this case, just patching things up.

Etna found the situation to fun not to tease Laharl. "Wow Prince. I didn't think you would stick up for someone else, that's so kind of you."

Laharl scoffed."It's next to impossible to give someone fatal wounds with those baby-tooth swords Love Freak. You worry to much." On Etna's sentence he visibly looked annoyed on the word 'kind' however, it didn't cause him to over-dramatically flail on the ground like an fish out of water. He could..tolerate it now. Not that he liked it, but he could deal with it.

"It's not like that! I just wanted to show him his place that's all. Let's leave this area now, It's boring now." Calming down, as much as he could anyway he went in one direction but stopped not to far, his three vassals moving a bit ahead of him. "If you're interested, I'd like you as my vassal." Laharl then continued leaving a still stunned group of people.

"Everything all right?" Ayame got back, having missed the fire works from before. Norias was back up now, angry but still a bit roughed up. She managed to get the story of what happened from the audience, and ordered both Kojiro and Norias to come over so she could confirm things. On finding out it was true that he had insulted the other man among other things, the two engaged in conversation in the Angel tongue.

Normally, it was peaceful, one could say gentle but it wasn't the case this time, after the conversation got underway. The words were stressed and harsh, and Norias seemed to get more angry with every word. Finally he unsheathed his real sword, broke it in half using his strength and dropped it harshly at her feet snarled something in his native language, before spitting on sword and turning on his heel.

The other Angels around faces seemed grim, they know what that gesture had met. An old custom not used in a long time, they hoped they wouldn't of had seen it before. In another way it meant something else deeper, which was told by Ayame's troubled facial expression. She could feel things slowly start to crumble apart and ebb away. King Krichevskoy's and Seraph Lamington's vision seemed that much farther away at the moment.

Not able to take the tension anymore, Kojiro spoke up. "What does that mean?"

"I relieved him of his duty as a soldier for a while, I should have known before hand. As for what that meant.." She frowned. "It means you have enemies now."

* * *

Some time had passed since he had ended up here, where ever here was exactly anyway. If it had been days, weeks, or even months he couldn't tell, time seemed hard to tell at times. At times he still had a hard time trusting anyone, but they so have far had been very kind to Noir. So, he supposed he could trust them for now. An paranoid voice he had developed in his stay in that danmed prison screamed they would get him while his guard was down. Normally he would have listened to it, but not anymore.

Some part of him truly believed they weren't going to hurt him. He'd trust for now.

The owners of the mansion he had never met, not even once. From what Noir had gathered they were busy people and were always off doing something or another. Not content with simply free loading, he made himself useful however way he could, mainly just cleaning around the huge structure. Angelique had protested she had everything handled, but he still wanted to do something to make sure he wasn't merely dead weight.

While not unfriendly, he kept a distance between himself, Angelique and that man who he later learned was named Krichevskoy, but Krich was a shorter version of the name. Meals were eaten with him being silent, saying an polite 'thank you' here and there and other such manners, then he would retreat to the large library in the basement. This is where he found some sense of peace sense he couldn't remember anything but his name. He didn't know if he had liked books before he lost his memory, but it was a fair guess.

In the time span of what Noir guessed was a week, he slowly became less ignorant of where 'here' was among other things. All the information he could ever want was in the library, hidden beneath ancient covers of books and dust. It looked like someone literally hadn't been in here for ages, not that he minded. Noir had since gotten permission to revitalize the library, cleaning and tending to it. The hybrid was seldom seen outside his own private sanctuary he had made himself, he would have made it his room if he could get the bed in here.

He found himself reading through yet another book in the comforting silence, the chair once about to fall apart was now repaired. There was nothing he could do with some of the more fragile books that hadn't with stood the test through time, but he made do with what he had. A brown cat stood on the table, watching him curiously. The single bell on it's neck was a sign it was owned by someone. Noir had come to the conclusion some time ago that it was the owners pet.

Something about the creatures gaze disturbed him. In it's eyes he could see something that resembled sentient intelligence in them, but it had to be his imagination or so he had repeatedly told himself. Longinus stood upright, prompted agaisnt an chair which allowed him to read an open book in front of him. A mutual bond was born between the two, they both had an strong desire to read and were both book worms. They would both sit in silence for hours, it had gotten to the point where Noir could flip the page for him with out even turning in his direction.

Noir was the first to pick up the sound of soft foot steps, an woman's. Coming down the basement was Angelique, an tray with drinks in hand and her typical expression. She seemed a bit worn out, it was no surprising since she almost always running around. When ever someone needed something, she would practically bend backwards to accommodate them. No matter what her condition was. It had gotten to the point to where Krichevskoy had to almost force her to get some rest.

_Being overly kind is an strong point and an weakness, it would seem._ Noir noted to himself as he watched the young woman from the corner of his eye. He was polite enough to give an simple greeting to her, but that was the extent of it. Longinus wasn't able to reach his cup of lemonade, but he was to stubborn to ask for help, it was almost comical. The sentient weapon seemed to be trying to move on sheer will power alone.

After a few moments of standing and unable to move, he gave in. "I require assistance my lady."

Never one to tease, the red-headed woman picked up his cup for him helping him drink. Longnius didn't need food or water to live, but every once in a while it was a nice treat to pleasure himself in.

An content sigh escaped the spear once he was done. "I thank you. How does King Krichevskoy fair?"

"Sleeping soundly." Angelique turned her gaze briefly to the ever enigma known as Noir. He almost always so quite and withdrawn, it was hard to get past his own barriers he had placed around his heart. Again, it reminded her of Croix. In fact, for some reasons they were alike, yet different at the same time. Almost like that other woman and herself, Prier was her name? It had been so long, yet she wasn't an easy person to forget.

"I was going to see the children." She began. "If you want to come Noir, I wouldn't mind the extra company." It wasn't uncommon for him to politely refuse, but they're were instances when he would tag along. Though, one could never tell when those times were.

"Is Krichevskoy coming?" Noir asked softly, not looking from his book.

"No. Longinus is coming, it would just be us."

"I will come then." Noir had nothing agaisnt the King, in fact he began to gradually respect him over time. It was for the simple fact Angelique seemed almost oblivious to the very real dangers of the outside world and Longnius was no protection(since he we'll couldn't move), and Angelique was no fighter herself. This meant if she ran into trouble, she would be unable to defend herself if Krichevskoy wasn't coming this time.

"Good." Angelique seemed genuinely happy that he had chosen to come along. "I'll be right back in a moment." Energy in almost every step, she left the two to go change into slightly warmer clothes for the trip.

Once she was out of the basement completely, Longnius once again tried his luck of trying to drink the lemonade on his own, with no success.

* * *

True to her word, Angelique hadn't taken to much time getting ready, seeing as all she had to do was throw on a coat. Longnius of course didn't need anything and Noir himself seemed unaffected for the most part agaisnt the elements for reasons he didn't know. The weather in the Twilight Realm seemed to resemble Parprica a great deal, but they're were certain instances where it was apparent they weren't in the same place.

Carrying an weapon might cause alarm, so for now Longnius was wrapped in a small blanket as Noir held him-much to his displeasure. Grudgingly he had went with the idea, if only to be able to come along and not cause trouble for his other two companions.

The sky was slightly dark on that day, not enough to be considered night time but still enough to be noticeable. Another thing that was noticed that it seemed to practically 'rain' small flower purple flower petals. In reality they were just petals blown in the wind and some just found they're way down which gave the illusion of it raining petals.

They arrived at an small courtyard and in the middle stood a large old tree, closed off by stone around it. Children from the ages four through nine were scattered around the area, a Nun seemed to be watching over them. The moment they saw Angelique, almost all the children flocked to her like bugs to an light. Noir noticed a person covered from head to toe in bandages walking on crutches. On seeing Angelique, they seemed to panic and went the other way to leave quickly, as fast as one could go on crutches anyway.

Neither him nor Angelique knew the person had been Demon Lord Talenarath.

"You came back!" One small girl shouted.

Smiling, Angelique crouched down. "Of course I did little one. I promised didn't I?"

Like normal, Noir felt himself feel out of place among the crowd. He was more at home in his own world then in a group with people. He knew there would be times when he would have to interact which meant it was something he needed to adjust still. But at seeing the utter ease Angelique seemed to have around the children, he knew in his heart of hearts that would likely never be him. It was far off goal to be able to be that social, but then he wasn't sure if he really wanted to.

"Where's Longnius?"

Noir heard one of the children ask, so he gently unwrapped the blankets knowing the spear would be more then grateful to be able to see. He placed him in the slightly soft patch of dirt by the tree so he could 'stand up' with out assistance from anyone. The children almost immediately gathered around the spear. Longinus was always delighted to have someone to talk to, and even more so to have people listen to his stories. Even Noir had to admit his stories were intriguing and could strangely captivate both children and adults alike. An child wouldn't get the deeper morals or lessons and the like to heart, but older people could understand and take the lessons to heart.

Angelique got herself a seat on a nearby bench, the Nun, Janna he believed her name was stood silently nearby to listen. Noir went over to the tree, it drew him for some reason. As he stayed nearby the old relic, Longnius already just started his tale.

"As you know, I have been around for quite some time and I've had many owners before my current one. So I have plenty of tales to tell, now before I begin. Do you remember the lesson from my last story?"

Eager shouts and the like rose it was hard to tell who said what.

"One at a time." Angelique reminded them with a bit of laughter in her voice, they listened right away and were a bit more patient instead of just saying everything all at once.

Meekly, an small girl spoke up."That monsters come in different forms?"

"Excellent work Sheila! It seems at least one of you have payed attention to my lessons." Longinus praised the child, which caused the others to grumble they could have said the same thing. "That story is one people all to often forget."

"I wanna hear it again!"

"Yay!"

Longnius, always happy to give out advice or tell a story was all to eager to do that all at once in a story. "Hmm, very well. Now, long ago in another land lived a very beautiful young woman named Organa that lived in a rich country. People were forbidden to cross to the other country, the residents there were considered evil because though they looked human, their true form was scary to look at. Awful stories were told, and it frightened Organa to not going and thinking the people were indeed horrible monsters."

"One day, a friend became ill from a rare sickness. The only cure laid in the one place Organa was told never to go, yet she had no choice with no one else willing to go. In a long journey, she reached the place and encountered the monsters for the first time. She was surprised when they helped her and were actually kind, not like the stories she had heard. The young maiden cured her friend, but she later learned that the Prince, an supposed noble and kind man had done it out of jealously. It was then that Organa learned that a real monster are often the ones we see in normal people and supposed monsters might actually be people."

_That story. It feels like..I've heard_ _before, but where? And this tree reminds me of something. _Noir's eyes were closed as he concentrated, his hand on the rough bark of the tree. Trying to recall any memories at all, ones that made sense of why Longnius story sounded so familiar to his ears.

"Are you all right?" Angelique was behind him, obviously concerned.

"I'm fine. It was just-" Noir cut himself off, eyes troubled. Some type of twisted presence was felt, or at least he could feel it. Longnius could probably feel the power as well, having been used to many battles. He couldn't recall just how he could feel these things, but he just could. Just another mystery that would hopefully be solved when he regained his memories.

The stray cats seemed to react strange to, some were actually running away where they had been fine just moments before. All the children began to get increasingly uncomfortable while some just looked out and out scared.

Noir didn't know who or what it was, but he came to an decision quickly. "...Get the children out of here now. I'll hold what ever it is off. Go with the children, they need you."

Janna took his advice and got all of the children rounded up, keeping them somewhat calm but Angelique didn't seem to want to go. She was about to argue, but there was a look in his eyes that made her not say anything, he had already made up his mind about it. Forcing her herself to bring Longnius along, she left and tried not to look back.

It was only when Noir was completely alone did the reality of the situation kick in. Just _what _was he going to do? He knew he had powers, but he couldn't use them to their full potential at the moment, everything was on the subconscious of his brain. If it came to an fight, he didn't like his chances considering how strong this presence felt. Plus there wasn't the fact he knew he still wasn't at full strength yet.

He could hear slow and confident foot steps, who ever it was sounded over confident just by the rhythm of their walk. An man came into his eyesight, slightly pale-skinned with scars that traced along side parts of his body. A white mane of hair behind slightly elevated ears were an sign of his demon heritage, yet the eye patch was the strangers distinguishing feature. That and the hate-filled and predatory look of his single eye he had left. The two long and sharp blades strapped crossed over his back only furthered his intimidating looks.

"We'll, we'll. This was a rather touching outing a moment ago. You'd think they were scared of me." The white-haired man said, a bit mockingly. "Why the stone-face? Look like you just lost you're best friend."

Emotionless, Noir replied. "You're not welcomed here."

"Of course not. I have some personal business to attend to. Now why don't you be a good little boy and scamper off before you get hurt?" Again, Noir didn't budge or show any emotion. This seemed to amuse the stranger, it actually tickled him that this sorry excuse for an half-breed had the nerve to confront him.

"I like an man that stands up for himself, more satisfying when I knock them down." That over confident grin appearing on the man's face, he drew both his large blades and even then Noir didn't look the least bit intimidated.

"Drop the weapons or I'll drop you." Another, new voice joined in. It was King Krichevskoy, a generic spear in hand instead of Longnius was in his hand as he walked by Noir's side. His more light-hearted demeanor was gone, instead replaced by something more darker and deadly.

"Heh. If it isn't King Krichevskoy." Now with an new opponent to keep an eye out on, he kept them both in the sights of his single eye at all times. "Or should I say Mid-Boss now a days? How's the father of the year-award working for you?"

Noir noticed an tight line appear on the King's mouth, the grip around the spear seemed to tighten a great deal.

"Shut up Seedle. I don't know why you're here or even how you got here but I know just where you're going. Leave or I'll stick my spear so far up you're ass you'll have to piss through your mouth."

Seedle chuckled. "Still the comedian I see? I'd know your lame sense of humor anywhere. But, as much as I love to have it out with you like old times. I didn't come here to fight you. It's good to see you to old friend."

"We're not friends. I'm surprised you can me from this angle though." Krichevskoy seemed to calm down some, but Noir could feel the Demonic Energy about to burst from the calm surface, if given the chance.

The Underlord would have normally said something smart in return, but he really wasn't in the mood. He gauged his threats-King Krichevskoy of course was the biggest one, he would know because he had fought him time and time again. That half-breed, as much as he hated to admit was an wild card. It seemed some power lurked within him, if he could use it to it's full power was something he didn't want to find out or chance. Two agaisnt one in this case wouldn't have been to wise.

"I'll be back. Don't think it's over." An light click as he sheathed his blades was heard, backing away before an portal appeared beneath his feet, engulfing him and then vanishing with him with it.

"Noir! Krich! You two all right?"

Both of them could see Angelique coming back towards them, Longnius in her hand.

"I'm unharmed." Noir then frowned to himself mainly. _What was that strangers purpose? Did he even have an motive to begin with?_

"Been better." It was obvious this Seedle bothered the ex Over Lord, he still seemed rather..intense. Almost as if the mocking evil man would appear back at any moment when they least expected it. How had he got here? As powerful as he was, he couldn't get to this realm on his own. And just what did he want from this place anyway? The more he thought about it, the more questions he had.

Things had gotten more interesting, but at a price.

* * *

**Authors Notes:** Sheesh long chapter for me, think it was longer then ever chapter four. Anyway hope you guys enjoyed this one. See you next time, hopefully. 


	11. The Face Of My Enemy

**Authors Notes:** Sorry for the extremely long update, net issues. To answer one reviewers question, yes it would mean it's a slightly bigger crossover. However, Seedle is the only one. Originally, I was going to have a original character take his place, but I had an idea. It has to do with Adell, and that's all I'm going to say. And speaking him, its back to him and Alouette, as well as the others As for anyone from Phantom Brave... All I can see is we'll see(I don't even know) Enough babbling, hopefully people will enjoy this one.

* * *

_Terror seemed to take over her entire body, no logical thought process just escape, anywhere as long as she got away. Alouette was a bit bruised from something, her already worn tunic was more torn then it had been before, marks and the like were an sign something had attacked her._ _She was alone this time in the forest where it all began, Adell didn't seem to be anywhere in sight this time, nor Damien. _

_Inhuman bone-chilling howls seemed to be following her, who they belonged to was yet to be seen or even how close they were. Alouette didn't care as long as they didn't catch her. Her small body was starting to feel the strain, even with her powers she was getting tired and worn down already. Her heavy breathing seemed to be the only sound besides the angry cries of her pursuers._

_Agaisnt her will, she rested agaisnt an tree knowing she couldn't run much further and would have to take her chances hiding. Light foot steps gradually came closer and each time they got more and more near did she feel like her heart would beat out of her chest at any moment. The 'people' chasing her if you could call them that felt bad. Alouette didn't know how she could tell, only that they Felt wrong, their whole being seemed wrong somehow. It was almost like an persons but something was missing, something vital. Though what it was she didn't know, all she knew was that they were bad._

_Another howl that chilled the small child to all the way to from her head to her toes was heard again, this time much closer_. _It was only when she turned to flee again when her cover was blown did she get to see her attackers face, at least one of them. They were completely covered in black, no skin showed and a hood covered their head. The ex Maiden of Light could see its face, a strange mask(similar to an drama mask) was seen, covered in an smile. _

_It came closer to Alouette, dragging its feet before stopping. Slowly the creature reached for the mask and took it off dropping it to the floor, revealing an blank face with no features. No eyes, no nose, not even an mouth. Yet it talked in a voice Alouette wouldn't soon forget._

"_**You're face...and soul..Give...it..to..me.." **Horrible didn't even begin to describe the sound of the voice, it felt unnatural just like the beings just being here did. Before it could come closer though, a blur was seen as something quick smashed into it and then-_

"Hey, Alouette. Wake up. You ok?"

Slowly opening her eyes, the first thing Alouette saw waking up was an worried Adell, obvious by his tone and his concerned expression on his face. The nightmare had shaken her a bit so she didn't reply right away. The only thing she managed was an tired nod.

"Good. You were starting to make me worry." Adell sat down on the opposite side of Alouette on the couch at the very end. She might of said she was fine, but he really didn't believe her. The bag over her eyes and the way she had been saying things in her sleep, most of he couldn't decipher even now. It would make sense why she would have nightmares, yesterday was probably something she'd have to cope with for a long time. _Heck, it's something I'll have to cope with for a while._

Staring at her feet as if something of interest was there, Alouette spoke very softly Adell had a somewhat hard time hearing her even with his sharp ears. "Did you sleep ok Adill?"

"I slept like a rock." Adell didn't seem to mind the unintentional nickname, if she had a hard time saying his name normally that was fine. "To be honest, it's Adell instead of Adill. But only you get to call me that, all right? It'll be my first nickname." _First one besides battle-maniac, that is._

It got the reaction he had hoped which was a small smile, she didn't seem to smile as much lately but that was understandable under the circumstances. Still Adell had to say she seemed to be taking it better then most children would have, he'd probably be a useless wreck. Alouette on the other hand handled it far better then most children her age. Almost like she was older somehow. They're were times Adell could swear she wasn't a child, on certain things she did or said but it was likely she was just slightly more mature for her age. That was the most plausible answer.

But Adell wanted to cheer her up a little bit more that day, even if just a little.

"Hey." Adell started, a devious grin appearing. "You know what this day is missing? Candy and junk food. So later, we're going to get some, after breakfast and everything of course. You still have to eat a bit healthy since you're still growing." Then he decided on something else. "If you want to talk about the dream, I'm not an expert but I'm here if you need me."

"..I had this dream." Alouette said quietly after staying silent for a bit. "It felt..so real. I was in a forest and you weren't there it was just me. And these strange people were chasing me, but when I saw them up close, they didn't have a face." She shuddered at the memory. "They felt wrong to."

Adell was very patient with her on the subject, but that didn't mean he wasn't the least bit curious about the whole thing. It wasn't a nightmare he had expected, he had thought she would have a dream about the death of her grandparents, not this. Then again, maybe it did but there was just a deeper complex meaning behind it. "Wait. What do you mean felt wrong?" He prompted.

She slowly shook her head. "I don't know. Sometimes I can feel things.." Alouette tried to think of how to explain something she didn't completely comprehend herself. "Like, I can feel this presence from them. Yours is gentle. And those people that at the village, theirs were twisted somehow. But the people in my dream, they didn't have a presence, a real one."

It was times like this Adell was reminded that Alouette wasn't a normal child. Not that he cared really either way, just something his observant side had picked up. _Gentle? Me? Didn't expect that. Then again maybe I just didn't see it_. "I don't know Alouette. The dream, it could mean something, it could mean nothing. But we can't worry about what Could happen, we have worry about what's happening right now. Okay?"

"Ok. Thank you."

"No problem. Let's get cleaned up for the day, we can't sleep in all day, much as I would like to right now." Adell stood up and stretched, feeling some bones crack. _The sleep must have really been uncomfortable to have me making this kind of noise. Or I'm just getting out of practice._ Alouette had went off to go get dressed in some fresh clothes in the bathroom, it looked like Damien had laid some out from the other night.(Where he got them, Adell had no clue)

Before he could do anything, he heard a scream.

His body seemed to be acting before his brain, going on it's own accord as he quickly rushed over to where he had heard it. Expecting the worse. What Adell _didn't _expect was something a lot less serious. Alouette was standing on top of stool in the bathroom, a large ugly insect that seemed to be a hybrid between a cockroach and a spider with a large red mark on its back was crawling on the ground lazily.

"Adill, kill it, kill it!" Alouette seemed to be deathly afraid of the thing, the fact she was close to tears and hysterical about it only proved it.

Adell couldn't help it. He almost laughed.

"It's not funny!"

"Ok, ok. You're right. Hang on, I'll rescue you." Adell forgot to mention one deep dark secret, one so mind-numbingly shocking and out of character not even his foster parents knew. Adell was scared of spiders, or anything remotely like them. It was an irrational, considering he fought agaisnt monsters and demon lords, the thought of him being scared of something so small was in itself comical.

"..Uh. Just give me a minute.."

"Adill!"

_Nothing to do but to do it. _Adell then summoned his legendary iron will he was known for and got what looked to be some newspaper, folding it so it curved before scooping the vile creature and flicking the thing out the window. Just doing that made him want to take a bath, but he pushed the thought away. Adell tried to close the cracked window to prevent any other guest from popping up, but found it stuck. With a few unsuccessful tries later, he finally used some of his strength to do it, but accidentally broke it instead.

"Oops." Adell hadn't meant to do that, but he didn't think the thing would break like that.

"Hey, what's going on?" Damien came over to see what the fuss was about, dressed in some decent clothes for the day. It must have been annoying trying to do that with a broken arm, Adell didn't think he wanted to know how.

"They're was a spider or something that scared Alouette, I just got it out. ..And sorry about your window." Adell rubbed the back of his head briefly.

Damien only laughed. "Don't worry about that piece of junk. Come on, I'll treat you to breakfast." The two men left the now insect-free bathroom to let Alouette finally get dressed and headed into the kitchen. It actually wasn't that great of a breakfast, no hot food just some cereal.(Adell was slightly surprised they had cereal, but then they had guns supposedly so who knows?)

Adell was trying to be polite, even if said cereal felt like it had been left out adding an unnatural and unpleasant crunch to it. "I got a question though." He tried not to wince when a particular star-shaped piece of cereal almost sliced through his tongue. "Where did you get the extra clothes for Alouette?"

"Bernard. Some months ago he sent me a few. Said just in case something happened to keep an eye out for her. Never knew until now what he meant by that.." Damien was silent for a time before saying anything else. "..Anyway. I still have help lead you to the ship docks so enough of that for now. Besides, you still haven't seen inside that Inn I told you about."

"..And these Air Pirates?" Adell didn't feel like eating the 'cereal' at the moment, he much rather eat rocks, least they wouldn't hurt.

"You'll seem em' most likely. Don't worry about that. We'll hit the Inn and then go to our next stop." A grin suddenly cracked on the older man's face in thought of something. "Might need some cat nip and a wool ball for incentives though."

Apparently, Adell missed the inside joke.

"What?"

* * *

Since leaving the small village, Croix found himself with two more people in his company. Odd traveling partners they might have been, but nothing he wasn't used to. In his life with the things he went through, seen, and experienced it wasn't easy to really surprise him anymore. However, if he saw Prier skipping or something truly out of the ordinary, Croix would have to take another long trip as a vacation.

Kinta, the Demon Ninja he had met he wasn't sure if he should trust to much right away. So far upon first meeting she seemed like a slightly noble spirit, but only idiots judged on first impressions, something he had learned the hard way. She kept to herself, not saying or interacting much with either him or Lamington. Often she would actually sleep in the trees away from camp, never really staying to close. Maybe she didn't trust either of them as far as she could throw them and was truly just paying back an debt.

Then their was Seraph Lamington.

The Angel was polite and soft-spoken, quite but he spoke when things needed to be said. Many times Croix would find him at night with a far-away look as if something was nagging at him. What it was he didn't know but most likely it had something to do with some form of regret, Croix himself would know that look because he had his fair share. Still, he kept an eye on him as well. Lamington had his own reasons and agenda for doing what he did, and he honestly didn't know what was going on in the Seraph's head.

And that was just the icing on the cake of why the group had a certain amount of tension. The tension of setting into a group for the first time, none of them, not even Lamington seemed completely relaxed or comfortable. It was a normal thing the Demon Hunter knew, but he couldn't help but feel there was more to the story. It only got worse as they steadily inched their way closer to Croix's employer and more importantly to one more heavily dominated cities of the empire.

_This silence is starting to kill me. _Croix was used to it, in fact he enjoyed his own solitude from time to time as the next person. But this was getting ridiculous. If they we're going to stay in a group for any decent amount of time, they would have to get to know each other. It wouldn't do not to know if your ally was going to stab you in the back when you at least expected it. Croix just wished he wasn't the one that had to break the silence.

"When we get to the city, just let me doing the talking all right? I know just how far to push or not to push, comes with the territory." Croix continued as the outline of the city came into their sights.

"Fine with me. I'm not going inside though, I'd get burned to the stake. " Kinta said almost bitterly, she didn't say anything afterwards. Seeming to go into her own little world and both knew better then to try push her out of her shell.

"I have only one question. This empire, who is the leader?" Lamington didn't seem to be paying attention to his surroundings which wasn't the case.

"Some man named Lior from what I know. Never met him before to be perfectly honest with you. If I did meet him.." An hand went towards one of his weapons for emphasis. "He'd have a bullet with his name on it. Why'd you want to know?"

"I have my reasons."

Glancing back once at the Seraph's static facial expression, he knew he wasn't going to get a straight answer from him right away. Which was fine, at least they we're getting somewhere. Slowly but surely, but it was an start. There was something else nagging at Croix, two things in fact but he couldn't talk to either of his new guest, to personal. Somehow he knew his journey was coming to an end, which meant going back to Parprica, which also meant facing Prier.

Croix would always play the scenario in his head about what he would say to her, and each time they never ended well. In the end he decided he would do what he always did, follow his gut and let the chips fall into their place on their own. What ever happened when they finally met again was going to happen, he would just have to buck up and ride with it. That was just the first problem though.

To make matters more complicated he could hear a voice. At first it was extremely faint and he wrote it off as his imagination but steadily over the years it got louder, more clear. It was the voice of the his other half. He didn't understand why it would come back, maybe it had never truly went away in the first place. Croix wasn't sure if he was going insane or there was something else deeper behind it and that what was worrying him. Not knowing if he was losing his sanity or darkness was gripping his heart again. He actually preferred the first, at least a repeat of the past wouldn't happen.

"What does that sign say?"

At hearing Kinta's voice he turned back to see what she was looking at which turned out to be an half torn sign. It was somewhat old and worn but he could read around the edges that hadn't gave away to time. "Danger. It doesn't say what since I can't see the other letters. You were closer why didn't you read it?"

Kinta turned away from both the Demon Hunter and the Angel in a gesture that probably meant she was embarrassed. "..I don't know how to read and let's leave it at that okay?"

Croix only blinked once under his dark sun glasses(though it was impossible to tell) but then shrugged it aside after thinking it over. It wasn't like he hadn't encountered people who couldn't read before, but most of them were in backwards places were learning things of that nature weren't needed as much when you lived in more civilized areas. The rest of the trip after that went into silence, except for Lamington asking the occasional question or two along the way. About an hour later, the three reached the outskirts of the city, Croix wasn't exactly looking forward to the meeting.

"I'll wait for you two here." Kinta announced to the other two before sitting on an abnormally large rock, or at least it resembled one. "Just do what you got to do." The Ninja pulled a coin from her pocket and began flipping it idly as if it would starve off the boredom of sitting still in one place.

"We won't be long. Stay tight." Croix said already leaving to the city with Lamington.

"Yea. Sure."

Neither responded to the distant reply seeing no need and instead focused on what needed to get done and out the way. For some vague reasons Lamington had wanted to come along with him when he met back up with his employer, but he was starting to form an idea or two. Like normal the city was busy but for some reason the atmosphere was a more subdued one. It wasn't nearly as active and loud as it was normally which was odd since this was seldom, if ever the case here.

_The sooner I get this over with the better. _Still, Croix hoped the 'evidence' he had brought along would be enough for the priest that had hired him. He already had a slight back story about it even he wasn't the best at them, he was proud of himself for making it decent. Both warriors forcing their way through the city noticed soldiers in key areas through out the city. This wouldn't have been out of the ordinary if it weren't for the sheer amount of them. It was more like they were waiting for a hostile invasion then just a simple keeping the peace duty.

It was all the more reason for them to leave quickly. If things ended badly, then he didn't really want to think to much about it. Upon arriving at the location, the two guards keeping would-be assassins away hadn't let Lamington in at first. That was until Croix calmly explained he was with him and reluctantly they went along with it letting them enter.

The place wasn't special.

In fact, Croix was sure this wasn't the priest real place but rather some building where he could conduct his business with out his private home being revealed. An man like that probably had his decent share of enemies for the things they did. Croix's employer was sitting on a large table looking something over, guards ran around busy with some things and a few other people he didn't yet recognize.

"Ah. Sir Croix." The priest said standing up after noticing him. "I take it you completed your task?"

"I have." Croix reached into one of his pockets before tossing the claw on the table carelessly allowing everyone to see it. "I'll tell you right now the demon was quite a handful, I almost didn't make it." Lamington watched the priest study the claw in silence, but it was obvious some gears in his head were already turning about something.

"Hmm, an genuine demon claw.." The man seemed quite pleased after looking at it, smiling to himself as he put the claw away. "So, the demon mother and child, their true forms were as repulsing as I thought if they had claws. I can't imagine fighting the vermin on a daily basis, honestly how low can they be to take a form of an child? You'd think they have some morals."

"Yeah. I know the feeling." Croix was of course being subtly sarcastic, as much as he was allowed with out getting hanged anyway.

To Lamington's amusement the priest hadn't caught onto that comment yet.

"My payment?" Croix's voice interrupted the priest line of thought.

"Yes of course. Give the fine man his due." One of the guards complied with the order, setting a obviously heavy bag onto the table and sliding to Croix who looked inside of it to make sure that the money, was in fact real. "I have another job for you. Has to due with a blonde-haired girl named Alouette.."

The Seraph and the Hunter exchanged a silent glance: both knew they had to listen. It was Croix who furthered the conversation along. "We're listening."

"As I knew you probably would. I'm sure you're aware of The Cleansing, we started earlier then expected. In one of the cities, Valendris I believe it was called had a riot because of it, but we're not here to discuss about those uncivilized savages." The priest leaned back into his chair and Croix noticed Lamington frown heavily at the last sentence but didn't press.

"The child got away during all the chaos, but we now know where she is thanks to one of our spies. There heading to South Docks. It's where most the recent people go to escape and its been hidden for some time until now. But thanks to our spy we can find the secret docks and get the child, kill two birds with one stone." He chuckled lightly at his own joke. "If you accept I just need you to act as back up as you will. The person with her, a young man with red-hair is quite the beast from what I hear from the soldiers. He already has taken down large groups by himself, that's where you come in."

Croix didn't want this lucky break to go to waste. "You have yourself a deal. This one's personal so I won't need a payment for this one."

"Wonderful. The map I gave you has directions so it shouldn't be a problem.." Tilting his head to the side, the priest looked at Lamington. "I don't think I got your name sir. And what is your business traveling with Croix?"

"That's because it wasn't_ given_." Lamington said in his normal tone but it sounded a bit more colder then usual. "As for the other question; its private. Let me ask you a simple question, those people that rioted, it was likely a result of their loved ones getting killed correct?"

He nodded his head, though he wasn't seeing the Seraph's logic just yet. "Yes."

Lamington continued regardless if it clicked right away or not. "And these were most likely very close loved ones, husband, wives, children, friends, other family members. So its understandable that this 'Cleansing' would most likely cause a riot due to the grief caused. Yet, what I can't understand why you would call them uncivilized when it was the empire that pushed them to that point."

"Are you saying the empire is uncivilized?!" Standing up quickly, the priest seemed a bit angry at the supposed accusation.

"I never said that. I only stated some simple facts. Now may we go?"

It seemed the Angel's words had struck a cord in the other man and though he wanted badly to arrest or punish Lamington in some way he couldn't. If he did it would just prove the heathens argument and it was at that moment he realized at the last second he had fallen into Lamington's verbal trap. "Yes you may. Be off with you."

Both Croix and Lamington left the building but it was only when they got some safe distance away did Croix say anything about the meeting. "I have to say, that was pretty risky what you did but you managed to pull it off with your head intact. Have experience with this kind of thing?"

"Unfortunately yes. Politics are something I have little love for but a subject I had to study for my position. One of the things you learn is that for the most part, their all the same, just different contents. We have to get Kinta and hurry to these docks." Lamington tried not to frown to himself about something but it had quickly vanished as fast as it appeared.

_Why do I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach all of a sudden? _Croix thought to himself, but yet he had no answers.

* * *

Adell hadn't thought these "Air Pirates" would, in fact be fluffy humanoid cat people about roughly the size of a child. He had pictured big, tall heavy men with bad teeth and an accent with tattoos across their body. These small child-like creatures he had learned where called 'Chocolats' and another thing he had soon learned after was that some thought being called a cat by non Chocolats was an insult. Hence, the reason he had some light scratch marks across his face.

When they had went into that Inn, it was packed with all kinds of people from everywhere and anywhere. Damien said that not to say the word but he apparently hadn't known Adell was from really far away and he ended up saying 'cat' around one of the Chocolats. This in turned had caused the creature to lunge and clutch itself to his face, and that in turn had caused everyone in the bar to get angry and soon enough a bar brawl had ignited in there.

Once the fighting stopped and everyone calmed down, Damien had went over and apologized and Adell did to-ever so grudgingly. It had turned out to be a waste of time, the Chocolat said they weren't a member of the Air Pirate crew anymore so they left soon after to make time. Before that, Adell kept true to his word and got himself and Alouette some junk food. Adell had quite the bad sweet tooth, it was just back at home he didn't often have such a luxury.

Luckily, the trip to these docks hadn't taken near as long as Adell thought it would, Damien had said it was a pretty quick trip if you knew the short cuts and the way of the land. Adell was only worried about being followed to the docks by some soldiers but he was assured that it was all right, so the young demon trusted his judgement.

The 'docks' seemed to be pretty crowded with people trying to get as far away from the messed up continent as possible. Only two large ships seemed to be of any use and from the looks of things they were making a supreme effort to cram as much people as possible inside in one place. Adell _hated _being cramped up or being in a small enclosed place but for his sanity and Alouette's sake he would put up with it. There was no town or anything of that sort nearby, Adell guessed it was to help keep a low profile.

"We'll, if it ain't one of my best customers. Trying to get someone on my ship?" The voice belonged to an older man probably around his forties, he had a shirt with a vest and some dark black pants. He had white hair and grey eyes and from his clothing, he obviously didn't care to much about fashion.

"Hmm, haven't changed a bit Harvey." Damien nodded to him then looked back at Adell and Alouette before glancing back at the other man. "I'm getting these two on. You got room? You're the few that does for affordable price, so we cam to you. This Adell and the little one is Alouette."

"Aye. I got some room to spare. First I want to check on my guest." The Sea Captain went closer to expect his would be passengers seeing Alouette and smiling lightly, revealing some teeth in need of dental care. Then looked at Adell as if sizing him up, then satisfied from the silent test he backed away. "Their both fine with me."

Not once seeing anyone with those kind of teeth, Alouette spoke with out thinking like some little kids did at times. "What happened to your teeth?"

Adell quickly covered the small girls mouth before letting go, the damage was done anyway and the words had came out before he could cover her mouth. "Uh..sorry about that. She didn't mean anything honest." He just didn't want to make possibly the only person capable taking them away from this place angry at them and he hoped he wasn't offended.

Harvey wasn't though. Instead a deep bellow laugh came from him. "I like her! Speaks her mind, no harm done. That's what happens when you don't take care of yer teeth Alouette, they'll get rusty like mine. See, you have pretty teeth so you gotta take care of em." He then turned to Damien. "So, wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes. I have a change of plans. You see, I've decided on something. It's pointless to flee or fight back so why not compromise with them? After thinking about it I decided that the best course of action was to go along with them."

The Captain didn't really like where this was going, a frown appearing. "I hope yer not saying what I think yer trying to say. Their monsters Damien, you know that better then anyone."

"It's time you all woke up to the facts." Before anyone could reply sounds of all kinds assaulted their senses. It was then that Adell noticed that soldiers from the empire where here, lots of them in fact and most of the crowd had went into a panic. They might not get killed and instead go to prison from trying to leave on an unauthorized ship, but it was better to run then go back.

_Why didn't I notice them? I should have picked up their scent or something. _Adell was frustrated with himself since he was responsible for Alouette's safety. Tensing his body up in preparation for a drawn out fight, he tried to process what would be the best course of action with the least amount of grief. "Damien, what's going?" He kept close to Alouette just in case, though he faced away from her since most of the danger was coming that way.

"He's a danmed snake that's what." Harvey growled. "I thought yer were better then that boy."

In response, the man removed his bandages on his supposedly broken arm revealing that he had faked it the entire time and chuckled. "Language old man. I'm saving their lives, they won't make it past the borders and you know it. I've told the Empire about this place in exchange for Alouette's safety."

Adell was almost at a lost for words. It was a trap, the whole thing was and he hadn't detected any of it, not until now."..How could you? What about Alison and Bernard, do they mean that little to you that would betray their trust like this? They _killed _them, and you expect them to keep their word now?"

"Shut up!" Damien growled. "I..they weren't supposed to die. Lior had said he would keep them safe only as long as they didn't try to escape. He can't control all his forces all the time and they sometimes act out on their own but they got punished for it. Understand, they weren't supposed to get hurt, the riot was completely unexpected just as the burning of the house was. It won't happen again this time."

"Yer a fool boy. He'll tell you only what you want to hear." Harvey spat in disgust.

Damien continued like he hadn't heard him. "I don't want to fight any of you but if you don't stand down you'll get hurt. Only Alouette's safety Lior promised me himself was guaranteed, in exchange for the information of where people were escaping from. But if you fight, so be it."

Soldiers came closer to Adell and the rest, ignoring Damien and further proving he was truly with them and this wasn't some sort of trick or anything. Coming to a quick temporary solution, Adell slid into his fighting stance, feet lightly swaying back and forth in a nice steady rhythm to a beat only he could hear, which was just part of his Martial Art style. "Harvey. Can you get Alouette out of here? I'll try to keep them busy and if I take to long hurry up with out me."

"Sure thing lad. Come on." Alouette however wouldn't budge and he had to pick her up and start moving to get anywhere, he used the mass crowd of panicked people for cover as he and Alouette disappeared into the sea of people.

"Adill!" She cried out trying reach for him with her hands, a futile effort.

_I'm sorry. _Adell had to force himself to look away from Alouette's hurt confused expression as she was carted off. She wouldn't understand it being young but he was doing it to protect her, and right now he couldn't do that with his attentions split. Damien was not really amused by this and the soldiers tried to catch up with them, Adell wasn't going to have it though.

He literally blurred forward, leaving an after image that split from along side him, and then he vanished from normal human sight. The next thing the soldier knew was that he rocketed upwards with a upper cut that sent them crashing painfully on the ground some good feet away. Recovering from the shock of someone moving that fast, the rest got their wits about them and retaliated. By this time, Damien had fled not wanting to take chances.

Fighting large groups of opponents was nothing new to Adell, he just had to keep the attacks constantly flowing to one foe to the next. The moment you hesitated and slowed down was the time the group could coordinate themselves and use their superior numbers agaisnt you. Adell used his speed to his advantage, keeping them disoriented and confused. Grabbing hold of a spear that just barely missed going through his stomach, he pulled forward with enough strength to pull the man towards him but not enough to yank it, his face soon met with the fighters fist dropping them.

Not even five seconds after, another soldier tried to cut him down to size with an over head slash. Seeing a few more enemies rush in from the corner of his eye and the distance gave him an quick idea. Adell used the fallen man's spear as a shield, bring it side ways to block the blow from the sword, in the same instance his left foot came from behind tripping him.

Being the hard worker he was, Adell didn't even let him hit the ground.

Faster then the soon to be unconscious man could phantom what was going on, Adell's hand grabbed his head before tossing him to the incoming column of soldiers. Thanks to the heavy armor, it acted in a similar fashion of a bowling ball knocking some pins down. Most likely some hadn't been taken out but with that armor they weren't getting up soon. Others had recovered after painfully picking themselves up, and after growing a brain, decided to spread out more. Arrows struck the ground in front of him, an sign they had Archers around. This was fine with Adell; it wasn't like he hadn't fought arrow users before, gun-users were typically a bigger challenge.

_Now I really can't sit. _Adell, in his slight distraction of the arrows and the nearby threats forgot his side front and found his arm wrapped a strange black string. It belonged to a couple of more soldiers who were trying to keep him off balance and pull him to an early death. He could have broke free, but he had an ingenuous way of dealing with those nasty Archers. The demon youth stopped another sword user with his free hand from cleaving him in half from a unoriginal over head attack. Adell didn't waste time and simply disarmed him, using the same hand to bring his face to his waiting knee, knocking them out.

It had happened using only a few seconds but in the heat of battle that could mean just about everything. Still feeling the pull, Adell suddenly stopped struggling which confused his attackers, almost causing them to pause. They weren't giving a second chance. Gripping the string, Adell yanked it hard twisting it in arc with the soldiers still held on. Using the string and the people on it as an weapon, Adell effectively knocked a good number of them some distance, he let the weapon go as it headed towards the Archers. Wrapping around them it dragged the unwilling with it, the momentum of it kept them going until they were out of sight.

"W-what the hell is this guy?" One of the soldiers said to another comrade. After seeing their Brigade smashed so easily by a single person, most of them backed off losing their nerve.

Adell wasn't going to wait around for them to make up their minds. He quickly made his way in the last direction he saw Alouette now that he was free to do so with out worrying about the soldiers. At least for now. A lot was still going on, but he didn't care and the majority of the empire fighters were calling in a retreat, but he only focused on one thing. _I promised myself I would keep an eye out on her for Bernard and for myself. If anything-no I need to think positive she's fine I know it._

From the looks of things, Harvey and Alouette had made it almost to the boat. Almost because someone he didn't know had Alouette hostage, an small dagger by her throat. It seemed to be one of the other soldiers. The old man(Harvey) in question seemed slightly wounded and unconscious, so obviously a struggle had taken place. Putting more power into his legs, he was just about there when Adell noticed something from his right side. Some man with orange hair and in some strange dark clothing rushed forward to Alouette's location, an large and wicked scythe in hand.

Summoning forth some of his Mana reserves again, he used it to pull off a Tiger's Charge technique but half way did it; he only needed the slight boost in speed. Adell leapt forward, twisting his body in the air, landing a kick directly on the assailants cheek. He felt the blow, and used his face as a spring to back flip from him, landing softly some feet away. The scythe-user readjusted himself before he hit the ground landing on his feet and rubbing his cheek that had left an imprint.

"That wasn't very nice you know." The man said in a surprisingly calm tone of voice.

"Tch. And I suppose trying to kill a kid was nice." Adell didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. The situation wasn't looking good, Alouette was a hostage and he couldn't know if the person would kill her. He had a new opponent, who seemed to be quite strong just judging from their energy. So over all, not the best of circumstances to be in.

"What are you doing?! Lior said she wouldn't get harmed!" Damien had caught up with them, ignoring Adell and the slightly hunched over wounded Harvey. "This isn't part of th-" As he came close enough to talk with the soldier, his sentence was cut off as an small sword was plunged through his chest from the soldiers free hand. Shock was written on his face as he felt his body become weaker and weaker at an steady rate, falling down face first making Alouette scream his name.

Adell was about to rush forward when he was forced to stop in his tracks, the attacker warningly press the dagger dangerously close slowly backing away more. "I got orders to bring her back alive preferable but she's expendable don't move if you value her life."

During this whole time, the same man Adell had stopped didn't seem to be bothered, like it didn't matter in the end as long as the end result was the same, if he was the one that did the deed or not. "Hmm, now this is interesting. See, me and my partner Larius were payed to dispose of that girl. If we don't do it personally, we don't get the credit."

"Over my dead body." Adell said stubbornly. He tried to think of something _anything _but for once he couldn't. For all his natural gift of thinking on the dot in battle, he couldn't think of a danmed thing to get Alouette out in one piece. His mind seemed sluggish and had turned to mud, maybe because their was an emotional attachment involved.

It looked like person holding Alouette was going to say something, maybe make an demand when he suddenly went limp falling into the water, not dead but like he was paralyze more then anything. Another man appeared seemingly out of thin air behind him some distance away, brown messy hair with the same eye-color. Unlike the other person though, he was dressed in a black silk Chinese-styled martial arts outfit. It was easy to tell it was that scythe-users partner: they both had the same strange symbol on parts of their clothing. He must have been that Larius guy that the guy mentioned moments ago.

"Alouette run!" Adell didn't like it but it was her only choice, and it would give her some time she needed for him to get to her. As she began fleeing, the other attacker who Adell assumed to be a fist fighter like himself rushed towards her, and at the same time his previous opponent moving towards him at break neck speeds. He could feel the adrenaline already pumping through his entire body, furthering him along as he tried to reach Alouette before anyone else did.

Just when the scythe was about to hit Adell, he shifted his body a little barely dodging the blow but it got the desired effect, making them lose balance and falling in the water. It was a brief distraction but the only one he needed. Straining himself to his limits, he managed to get in front of Alouette just in time. He didn't disappoint when they clashed. Adell was right in his assumption he was an hand to hand fighter, he just hadn't expected this level of skill. Each strike or punch was met with a block, dodging or using his own attack agaisnt him. Adell found however that his opponent was picking holes in his defenses already, happily poking the exposed vulnerable areas. The hits didn't feel natural. Each blow that struck him drained just a little bit more of his strength, and using his speed and strength was out because in that department they were roughly equal. It was just an test of skill, and in the end his opponent could simply outfight him.

Adell backed away to give himself some breathing room feeling tired but tried not to let onto the fact. He was about move again when his body locked up-he couldn't move. His knee's felt like weak rubber, and soon they gave out making him kneel agaisnt his will. "What the...?"

"Heh. My fighting style is specifically made to take down demons and other such creatures, I know the type you are and the biology of your body. I basically hit your pressure points, I'm sure you know what those are." Larius gloated. By this time, his soaking-wet partner had got himself out of the water, Scythe slowly dragging on the ground.

"You weren't our target, but we have orders to do away with those who interfere."

"Just get it over with Melvil! We're on the clock I feel myself aging here." Larius snapped at the other man agitated. Alouette had made the mistake of looking back and saw what was happening and began heading back despite Adell's inner protest. The wicked weapon was held over head and then brought down towards Adell which would cut him in half when it hit.

_..After all I've been through..Is..this how it ends..?_

* * *

**Authors Notes: **I know I'm evil. You'll have to see how things turn out next chapterI want to explain some things. First, I'm doing the levels of power by guess work, logic and good old fashioned imagination. For some characters, there's a lot more feats to go on and some, not so much, this is especially true with Adell and a lot of other Nippon Ichi characters. That's why if you look around in other fan-fics, the characters power levels fluctuate so much.

For example, Tiger Charge makes the person move fast enough to where they disappear. It could be written off as game mechanics, but then levels are mentioned in game. Plus, Adell is a hand to hand fighter which means he had to fight gun users Up Close; that requires some insane speed. I don't care how good you are. This way I'm trying to come up with the characters power levels. Unfortunately, it's a work in progress but I'll add more about it later. Anyway, for those who played La Pucelle, Alouette's dream does mean something. The chapter was a pain to write because action scenes are my weak point but it needed to be done.


	12. Messenger Of Terror

**Authors:** On Disgeae two I got to the Land of Carnage. It's a sad day when a Prinny can punk you, but if you ever get there for more comical value, ask them for help(the tutorials on the shop, Item World etc) and watch their answers. I'll warn you, the violence is a bit more intense in this chapter. Now with that out the way, we'll you know the drill.

* * *

A young blonde-haired woman in a loose white robe walked in what looked like a once great city. Tall buildings now shattered and crumpled, the streets broken and cracked beyond repair, debris left behind from the dead. It was easy to tell this city had once been lively, full of life and laughter. Almost emotionless cold blue eyes watched things impassively, not seeming to care even as she walked over what had once been a child's item, an teddy bear with an missing eye.

Soon she would have all she needed to accomplish her goals, all the things going on were just to good of a cover for her plans but she didn't rely on them. The balance of power was shifting, finally more into her favor then anything else. If things went as planned, it was only a matter of time before her dream would be realized. Despite stepping on broken glass, it didn't pierce the woman's skin, in fact she didn't seemed bothered by it in the least.

An dome-like building was her destination, and when entering inside there were two people waiting for her. Sitting in a chair with the always present smug expression was Seedle, leaning back and propping his feet agaisnt the nearby table, hands behind his head. Nearby was Xiaver, wings folded away to better keep them out of the way. He seemed highly annoyed at the Underlord just breathing in the same place as him but held his tongue, for once.

"Mistress." The High Celestial came over, his voice had a tinge of an awe to it. "It's wonderful to see you. I'm glad those uneducated brutes didn't attack you, they have been a pain for far to long."

"Mistress?" Seedle echoed in amusement. "My, I didn't know you had _that _kind of relationship. But between you and me she defiantly Looks the part if you know my meaning." A grin appeared as he looked the woman over, who for her part just ignored him.

"She's a Goddess, show some respect Underlord scum!" Xiaver snarled. "Your only an means to an end so don't think you aren't expendable."

Seedle shrugged. "You're full of it. You need me and I need you and you know it. But if you call her Mistress and its not from that, you just must be her personal bitch then."

"How da-"

"Enough." The woman's voice was soft but with a commanding quality to it, making Xiaver go silent instantly. She made eye-contact with Seedle. "Did you manage to find what I asked in the Twilight Realm?"

"Funny you ask." Carelessly, he leaned back into his chair more. "I couldn't find it. Back at that dump I ran into Krichevskoy and some scruffy half-breed, wasn't worth fighting them. The good news is I found some useful information. That is, if I hear what I want to hear."

"Yes. You'll get to be the one True Underlord of every realm as promised if we succeed. Now, that information..?" The woman pressed.

"About this item I think you'll find interesting that supposedly has to do with the Creator." Seedle gauged their reactions; Xiaver had been drinking and spit it out in surprise and though the woman seemed passive and detached, something changed in her eyes. "I think I might be able to get it, if we work out what I'll get out of it."

And for the first time the Goddess known only as Poitreene smiled.

"I'm sure we can work something out to _both _our liking."

* * *

Adell had always thought he wasn't scared to die. But now, with death breathing in his face about to claim him, he couldn't help it. _Am I really just a coward after all deep down? _He didn't want to die. There were to many things he hadn't done or seen, sounds he would miss. Loved ones he would leave behind he wouldn't see again. And he couldn't even be happy that at least in exchange Alouette wouldn't die: with out him they would get to her in no time. _I really am sorry Alouette. _He waited for the quick pain and his world to go black, not knowing if there was an life after this one or he would be truly gone.

But he didn't feel pain. Actually he heard a sound of a gunshot going off and voices.

Confused when nothing came, Adell opened his eyesSome strange people had came, the one that had fired the gun had shades on and some strange clothing he hadn't seen before, apparently he had shot the scythe out of the other man's hand. By him wasan older man with equally strange clothing, three wings on each side made him stand out-as did the white pulsing aura as the mana began to come off from him in waves.

The only person he knew was the female in the group, her hair and eye-color plus her clothes made her a very hard person to forget appearance wise. He only knew her from fighting along side her in Veldime, she wasn't super social so afterwards he hadn't heard from her since barely._ Kinta? But what is she doing in this place? It's not her home. _Adell tried to move but still couldn't, but hopefully it would wear off soon, he hated being helpless.

Croix was keeping close to Alouette, he knew it was her the moment he got a good look at her. People rarely looked so different you wouldn't recognize them as childrenIn this instance it wasn't just how she looked, but her eyes. They had the same look, the same feel to them and that was when he knew. Speaking of her, she was struggling in Lamington's soft but firm hold trying hard to get to the young red-headed man.

"Let me go! They'll kill him!" Alouette continued to struggle vainly.

Lamington didn't lose patience with the child in fact he seemed empathetic to her, the fear obviously from some odd stranger holding her and for the nameless young man life. "I will not hurt you. We're going to save you and your friend." Something about him seemed familiar, he seemed to fit the description of a friend Flonne said she had met on one of her trips, but he couldn't really place it. Finally, she ceased struggling. Whether it was from being tired or trusting his words one couldn't be sure.

He stayed with her though and didn't engage in the brawl. Someone needed to stay and make sure she was all right.

"Who are you?" Melvil recovered his scythe and nowheld it ready for a moments use. His partner came along side him, sliding into an easy fighting stance.

"I'm no one important." Croix said coming closer along with Kinta before stopping. "But if you must know I'm Croix-an Demon Hunter. Remember that name because I'll be sending you both to hell personally." He freed his weapon and trained it on the closes one. "Just consider me you're executioner."

"You should put that pop gun away. But that's Pretty tough talk from an human." Larius chuckled. "This is just going to make it more satisfying when I break your face in."

His partner didn't join in boasting, rather he was sizing up each of their opponents. The human was more powerful then more judgmental partner would think. The other demon seemed like she would be less challenging then the one they had just taken out. The biggest threat however, was the Angel that was hovering over the very person they needed to kill. It also seemed like...

"...Change of plans. Tactical retreat. It's politics."

"What? I can take some human or Angel trash." Larius protested but the look on Melvil's face didn't leave any room for argument. "Fine what ever. The higher ups will have our ass for this."Wordlessly, both of them backed away, both their bodies turning white as they faded away in a semi bright flash of light.

"Nothing but talk." Croix twirled his fire arm in his fingers lightly, sheathing his pistol slash revolver. Glancing briefly to Kinta noticing her look. Before he could say anything though, Alouette had already freed herselffrom Lamington's grasp, making a bee-line towards the unknown red-head.

Naturally,this alarmed Croix on the account he didn't know who he was.

"I know him. He's all right don't worry."Kinta said trying to keep the hunter from doing anything to hasty.

It was this and the fact that Lamington had let Alouette free in the first place to run to the stranger that made Croix relax a little. If Kinta knew him and Lamington was all right with it(for what ever reason, he was yet to be sure) then he wouldn't jump the gun so quickly. The three went closer to the pair. Alouette was hugging the red-headed young man tightly as if he would disappear at any given moment, she didn't even notice them coming closer.

"Hey relax ok? I'm not going anywhere." Adell tried vainly to get back up as the figures approached, he didn't know who they were. The group could have been friend or foe, but after what happened, he wasn't going be as trusting as before. The only person he knew was Kinta, and he trusted her, this meant the other two had to be trustworthy as well.

"I'm Lamington." The Seraph introduced himself, deciding to play mediator to keep the situation stable. "We've come to help Alouette. I promise to explain everything, but we're not enemies. If you let me, I can help you walk."

Receiving a slow nod, Adell told Alouette to back away who reluctantly did so, watching the stranger cautiously. Hands glowing white, the powerful Angel placed one hand on Adell's shoulder as he channeled his mana into him, effectively mending his wounds. Healing really was just another form of mana manipulation and required more skill then one would think. Since it healed from externally and internally, the damage could be far more severe if the healer didn't know what they were doing.

An strange warmth and numbness flowed through out Adell's being as Lamington cured him and backed away. It was an familiar sensation from the times he had been healed this way, that had been some time ago though. Slowly he stood up feeling his legs and everything else function again but the strange numbness didn't go away just yet-that would take some time.

"..Thanks." He had no idea how they knew Alouette and judging from her facial expression, she didn't recognize any of them either. "Obviously you already know Alouette, but my name is Adell."

"Name's Croix. Croix Raoul." Croix was _still _trying to get over the shock of seeing Alouette as a child. It was hard to imagine back when they were on their journey, it was hard thinking about it even now when it was right in front of his face. He turned around to see that a large crowd had formed, most focused on Lamington. "I think you blew your cover."

"It couldn't be helped." Lamington said, and that was true. When his wings were folded into his back, he was only achieve an small amount of what he was normally capable. With Alouette and those strangers, he couldn't afford to take many chances.

"There's a survivor over here." Kinta had been checking on one of the bodies on the docks. One was way to far gone and seemed to have passed on moments ago. The other one was reasonably all right besides being roughed up and just being old. Adell decided he would ask questions to Kinta later, right now Harvey needed help. He did try to help Alouette after all and was the person in charge of the ship, he owed him that much.

Lamington came closer to inspect him; Croix kept a bit of distance and Adell and Alouette came closer to see if there was anything they could do. Kinta was keeping a weary eye on the crowd, who so far hadn't done a single thing just yet but that didn't mean they wouldn't.

The Angel kneeled down, placing a firm hand on his chest, Lamington closed his eyes performing the same healing technique he had used on Adell. Only this time, he had to actually heal where before it was simply relaxing the muscles from the pressure points so they could move again.

"Give him some room. He's like disorientated." Everyone backed away to give the ship captain some space as he slowly open his eyes.

It didn't go as well as one would have hoped.

The moment the old man's eyes fell on Lamington and his wings, he fainted from shock.

"We'll, that's one way to leave a lasting first impression." Croix couldn't help but comment.

* * *

Once things had cooled down, everyone was allowed to board onto the ship. Some people had to stay behind because of not being enough room and the fact both vessels were over crowded as was and they couldn't cram anymore. Damien was buried some time before their departure. He may have betrayed them but in the end he really had been trying to help, mis guided as it was, he deserved that much if nothing else.

Lamington was asked many questions by the people there on the ship even with his wings currently folded away. Many of the people were religious, so naturally seeing an real live Angel boosted the majority's morale. It was very easy for people to get sick and for it to spread in such an inclosed space, so the Seraph healed as many sick people as he could to avoid the situation from becoming an dilemma.

On the other side of the ship, Adell was talking to Croix and Kinta with Alouette nearby looking out at the ocean silently. With so little space and smaller amounts of food among other things meant there was next to nothing to do to pass the time. If they were going to sit on a long boat trip doing next to nothing, Adell figured he might as well get to know these people.

"So you're an demon hunter?"

"Free lancer demon hunter. You've been keeping an eye out on Alouette-" Croix didn't get to answer Adell's question completely before he ran to the other side of ship, face turning green.

Apparently, he wasn't much of a sea person.

"I'm sorry for the wait." Another voice came into the conversation as Lamington came into view. Unlike most people, he didn't have to force himself through the crowd as the people were more then happy to move out the way. He had to admit, he wasn't to fond of the special treatment though he didn't voice it. Not like it could be helped at this point.

"It's no biggy." Adell didn't pay the lateness much mind. "I think I heard of you before. Do you know someone named Flonne?"

"Flonne was my student. You must be that Adell I heard her mention a few times." Closing his eyes a little he spoke in his normal soft tone. "We can talk about little details later of our current situation later."

Adell caught on and just nodded, they'd have to wait to talk when Alouette wasn't around. She was still a kid no matter how mature she acted at times, she didn't need to grow up to fast. "I got an question, how did you get here so fast?"

"Teleportation. Many high-level Demons and Angels have this ability, I choose not to use it most of the time because of how draining it is. That and we had no idea where to find Alouette until recently, we were running blind."

"We're still running blind." Kinta said, speaking up for once. "..Only thing is now we have an small part of the puzzle with us. That's all that's changed."

Lamington only partly agreed with that sentiment. "Perhaps. But people forget that an complex puzzle isn't solved in an single day, it can take weeks, months or years depending. But once you find the key pieces, the rest falls into place easy enough on its own. This is why we should find some answers in Paprica." Kinta shrugged but didn't reply back verbally, going back to gazing at the ocean.

"So, just what exactly are we looking for there?" Adell asked.

"I can't go into detail right now. I promise it will be explained later when its more appropriate."

To tell the truth, Adell didn't like the idea of keeping something that seemed so big from Alouette but held his tongue. First he would hear what Lamington had to say and then he would decide if she needed to hear it right now it was something better off left alone, at least for now until she was ready.

Meanwhile, Croix was finally recovering a bit of his sea sickness. While he would never _completely _get used to moving on in his opinion an death trap, he could tolerate it. To him, an ship was basically a experimental over-sized bath tub toy. Only if it sunk, consequences would be much more dire then an upset child.

He didn't trust his stomach at the time, and the thought of eating didn't interest him at the moment-not that there was much to eat here anyway. Instead he went to his private room, luckily himself and the others didn't have to share rooms, Harvey gave them special treatment because of what they had done.

This was fine with him. Croix needed space of his own from time to time.

_Maybe washing my face will help a little. _If not at least he tried, he probably needed to do some more personal hygiene anyway with his constant moving from place to place. When he went to go look in the mirror, he froze. In it was him but not him. It looked like Croix but the features were more hard, an feral look was in this one's eyes as he stared back into his.

He wasn't starring at himself. He was starring at the Dark Prince.

So surprised, he cut himself lightly with an razor which he had been shaving with and winced lightly. When he blinked and looked at the mirror, it was back to normal. Croix wasn't sure what disturbed him the most. The fact he was hearing his darker half, or the fact he was seeing it.

**_What's wrong Croix? _**

_Who's there?! _Croix shouted mentally hearing the voice in his head.

An familiar greeted him in reply. **_I'm so sad you don't remember me. Remember all the fun times we had together? I was there to help you when they murdered Angelique-all because they couldn't understand her gift. It was an curse really, in the end._**

_Shut up. I don't need or want you. Why can't you leave me alone?_

_**Because, I'm apart of you. **_

_No. You're not. Your not me at all. You were apart of Calamity._

Howling laughter was heard. **_You're so naive it makes me sick. Do you honestly believe that some parasite in you're heart just came and made you do things? No. The darkness you felt, that power-it was all you. The only thing that ugly bitch had done was allow her almost complete control. Nothing more._**

In the mirror, the Dark Prince appeared once again. A mocking smirk on his face.

Croix felt his temper flare, as he smashed his fist into the mirror with an audible _'crack' _that was heard through out the room. His hand was bleeding but he didn't feel the pain from it. With out an word, he left the room. He heard an soft voice in his head as he left the area.

_**..That's more like it.**_

* * *

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" Prier asked the Queen for the second time just to be sure. After hearing about what had happened to one of the capital cities, he and Prier were ready to check things out. Crepine, however insisted they waited until more information came along and that it was to dangerous. For 'normal' people, the word dangerous and wait was more then enough to shy them away.

Of course, with Prier, dangerous and wait weren't always in her vocabulary.

"I'm sure. You and Culotte have done more then enough. It would be selfish to ask to much of you two. I do have an request though.." Crepine looked to Prier and Culotte and then slowly smiled. "I would like you two to spend a bit more time here with Eclair, it would do her some good."

"You don't even have to ask. C'mon Eclair." Prier didn't have to prompt to much, because her 'little sister' was already coming. Crepine had eased on her daughter a great deal and knew her darker half was created due to much pressure.

The three left the Queen to her duties and took a stroll around the castle towards the garden. Often times, knights would be practicing and honing their skills for actual combat there. Prier liked it because she could watch and sometimes participate in spars. It was always an interesting experience, at the least the trainee's wouldn't be a stranger to pain when they did get into their first combat situation.

Culotte preferred the library himself. He had always liked reading, but the royal library was second to none when it came to quality and quantity as far as he knew. You could find information on just about anything if you knew were to look. His sister though, didn't get into books except for the rare cases.

"I'm worried about mother." Eclair voiced out as they traveled closer to the garden and training area located in another part of the huge castle.

Culotte nodded. "The capital disappearing like that must really be bothering her."

"N-no. It's not just that." The young princess shook her head. "..Something else is bothering her but I don't know what it is. It's been eating at her even before all this. I just wish there was something I could do to help her..."

"You can." Prier said suddenly, making her brother and Eclair both look at her. "Your mother may be going through a lot, and when she's ready, she'll tell you on her own time. In the meantime just be there for her, that's what she needs right now. Your support."

_Heh..I almost_ _forgot how sharp Prier is when it comes to matters of the heart. I might have more common sense and practical knowledge_; _but Prier has a kind of knowledge that more rare then both of those put together._

_Even now there's still a lot I don't know when it comes to the heart.._

_Then again, the more you learn about the heart, the more you realize how little we still know._

"Thanks Prier. Listen I was th-"

Eclair's message was interrupted by a shout from one of the older guards, running to them and slightly out of breath. "Princess! I mean no disrespect to you or your friends but there's a survivor: an knight from the city that was wiped out. I think you need to see this."

"Hey..what happened to your hand?" Prier noticed the guard's hand was wrapped up in an bandage and it was slightly tinted red, it had been very recent from the looks of it.

"The survivor bit me." This surprised all three of them but he continued. "In all my years of being in battles, I've seen a lot. It's not uncommon for people to snap every once in a while this kind of work...but it was different. Something terrified and shocked him to such a degree that..We'll you'll see for yourself."

The more they heard more details about the situation, the more it was looking gradually worse and worse. Prier, Culotte and Eclair were all coming with their own conclusions of what could be going on but each came up with blanks no matter how hard they tried. One thing they all took account of was that they were actually heading towards the dungeon, which confused everyone. If they were a survivor, an knight none the less, why were they being held here of all places?

A few guards stood stiff at attention and gave an salute as Eclair passed them by and kept alert on their duties, they seemed to be on edge on something. This was normal, as the guards took their job very serious unlike most but they seemed like something was going to attack them at any moment.

"No! I want don't want food I want to see the princess!"

"You can't see her boy, now eat before you get sick!"

An commotion was heard and a man came running out from a cell, an plate of food was thrown out, hitting the wall and shattering with a loud clang. Shaking his head, the person that tried to feed the young man came slowly walking over. "Still hasn't calmed down. Been howling and raving on until he see's the princess. Damn kid is really messed up."

"I'll see him." Eclair said after looking at the young man.

"..Princess are you sure?" The guard that brought them here asked. "He's...for lack of a better term unstable."

She just nodded. "I'll be fine, I'm not as weak as I look. I'll even take Prier in with me."

"You heard her. Let her through." Another guard said. "She'll be fine. I've seen the princess fight and her friend over there ain't a push over either. If anything, he should be worried if he decided to attack."

Reluctantly, they allowed them passage opening the cell and letting the two in. When they saw was a young man barely around fourteen with messy brown hair, his eyes had bags over them like he hadn't slept, he seemed haunted.

Something about his look that made sure Prier would never forget it.

"I'm here now. Would you like to tell me what happened?" Eclair prompted gently, if she was going to be an Queen, she had to learn to deal with these sort of problems.

"I still see them.." The boy whimpered, hugging his knee's to his chest and burying his head on his knees as well. He rocked softly back and forth in attempt to comfort himself and keep somewhat calm. "There was so much blood..and oh Goddess so many bodies.."

* * *

_It was an normal boring guard job at Gultrin city. Nothing was happening_ _and the days seemed to drag on longer. The heat wasn't helping any of the soldiers or citizens of the city, making much if not all of them miserable and cranky._

_To pass the time, many soldiers played cards or other games-anything to pass the time by a little faster. Others laughed and joked about thing, some boasted about their greatest victories-whether it was in a battle or with some woman._ _Not all of them joined in the fun; the new recruits were simply nervous about being there and felt_ _more then a bit out of place._

"_Don't you think it's kind of boring just sitting here? I mean what are we doing? We've been trained as knights, and now were basically baby-sitting." One new knight said, talking to a group of fellow soldiers. They were all_ _sitting in a street corner, having sit nearby a restaurant on a large table outside._

"_Trust me. You should be glad. Fighting...when it really comes down to it is nothing pretty. Trust me I should know." An older soldier commented. "It looks pretty on paper but war is an ugly thing."_

"_What ever. I rather be fighting then wasting away._ _All these skills and nothing to use them for? I mean give me a break."_

"_Captain!" Before the older soldier could say anything one of his subordinates came running to him out of breath, an strange glint in his eyes. "I-It's some type of monster or demon we can't stop it. It's to strong."_

_It was unnerving to_ _see his seasoned comrade like this. What ever it was he had seen must have left some type of mental scar and it showed. "Calm down. Now what happened and-"_

_The Captain didn't get an chance to finish when he 'felt' something. Normally, only advanced demon hunters and people who practiced in magic could sense things, this wasn't the case. What ever it was, its natural aura was so overwhelming and then even normal untrained humans could feel it. An bad feeling was felt in the pit of his stomach and a feeling of dread and hopelessness gripped the old warrior._

"_Sir...its here."_

_Towering over the hapless group was something that would haunt the dreams of any survivors that managed to see it. Vaguely humanoid, it seemed to be some kind of demon. It stood up on two legs and was at least almost twenty feet high, red soulless eyes_ _watched them impassively. The creatures body was filled with powerful muscles, some were bigger then an man's head. Shoulder pads with spikes protruding from them and an large cape completed the look._

_Anyone who knew who the being was that wasn't intimidated by his looks, would have ran._

_Getting his wits together, the captain got all the people under his command to fall back onto him and prepare for an battle with..the thing. Due to the fact that this new enemy had caused havoc in other parts of the city, other people under his command were helping out elsewhere which meant they would be fighting at half strength. _

_It was disturbing the captain that the creature was just standing there patiently, like it was waiting for them to make the first move. This made him uncomfortable. He was no stranger to fighting demons but...something was different about this one. Since their opponent wasn't going to make an move, he decided to take the initiative. Blades drawn, they made the charge._

_An sound similar to a sword hitting metal was heard when their swords struck agaisnt the monsters legs-being to tall to hit anything above. Like before, the nameless foe stood there before moving for once. It wasn't the slow waltz of an giant like everyone expected, but an unnatural sort of speed that should have been impossible for it's size._

_Everyone paused and looked around when their foe disappeared from sight. No one would have thought the thing was so fast that it could vanish like that with out a trace. _

_They didn't have to wait long for the mysterious being to appear again._

_Behind two soldiers, it silently picked them up by their hands and twisted. An sickening snap was heard like a person opening a cork to a bottle of wine. It dropped the headless corpses to the ground and stared at them with emotionless eyes. The act made the captain hesitate and the other remaining soldiers more then a bit weary. _

"_Retreat." The Captain ordered. Baffling all the people who knew him, but he must of had a good reason. "You heard me. Get the hell out while you can and take as many as you can with you. That's my last order to you all."_

_While the others ran away, the knight captain turned towards the towering titan and smirked. "I was hoping on the day I would be able to die like this." Positioning his sword in front of him, he sprung at his enemy which proved to be his last act. In a impossibly quick motion, it's arm came out grabbing the human by the head and then literally squeezed. Then tossing the motionless body to the side, the monster began hunting down anyone and everyone that was nearby at the moment._

_A new recruit was hiding in what was left of a building in the rubble, he was terrified of that creature and the only thing saving him was luck. He could hear the screams of men and women, and even children followed by gruesome sounds of flesh tearing among other things. Tears nearly came to his eyes, he wanted to help but he didn't want to die like some dog either._

_The young man risked a peak and was horrified on what he saw. Standing there was a strange ball but something was very off about it, it seemed alive. On closer inspection that was the case, hands seem to be trying to claw their way out from it in a unpleasant display. The victims of humans, demons, Angels and other beings was inside of it, crying out in eternal pain. He could actually hear it inside his head, he couldn't shut it off._

"_No stay away! I didn't do anything to you!" He clutched his head and got up before he fell backwards, hitting himself hard and knocking himself out in the same instance. Later, he was surprised he woke up again in the first place. Slowly he stood up somewhat, not hearing anything out of the ordinary. It was disturbingly quite all around. The young boy got himself out of the ruined building and saw the rest of the city in ruins, completely destroyed or crumbling. Bodies littered the ground like trash, twisted in awkward and horrible positions. No one was spared the animalistic brutality that had_ _taken place. Men, women and children shared the same fate. Some had their mouths open in an scream which no longer could be heard._

_The scene made him empty his stomach in disgust_. _Standing on shaky wobbly he slowly made his way far from the nightmare had taken place._

* * *

"..I-I was to scared to fight and I let everyone die." The boy said in a tired soft tone. "I..can still hear the voices from that ball. It was..like they were crying out to me make the pain stop." He rocked back and forth again. "..Please..don't make me go back."

After he finished, the room was silent. The guards had various grim reactions on their face and others seem openly very appalled about what had happened. Prier wordless went over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, despite the guards protest not to. Not that she cared, in her opinion the boy just needed some comfort, not to be treated like some criminal.

"Hey. You're safe now ok?" Prier said gently. "You won't have to go anywhere you don't want to go, right Eclair?"

The princess nodded, a bit tired. "Yes. That's right. Is there anything else you want to tell us?"

"..When I was dreaming I got his name I had a dream and he talked...but it was to real to be one.." The young teen said, starring off into space. "He said he was going to show everyone what real fear was. He called himself Baal, Lord of Terror."

* * *

** Authors Notes: **I know it was a long wait but I've been lacking the usual energy. Plus, when I first started this chapter I disliked it. No matter how many times I redid it, I still had the same feeling. So I simply went with the flow and decided to edit when I was done. In the process I managed to make an chapter I don't dislike so much. On an side note, the second Story Arc(the current one) ends when they reach Paprica. So not to much longer besides a few chapters. 


	13. Memories Of The Past

**Authors Notes: **It's been a long time since I put a chapter up, PC and real life issues got in the way(Plus writers block) for a while but now I have a lot more free time to write. I'll try to update consistently like I was before but no promises. Adell is a demon in this fic, but there is a reason he was called a human.

I do not own any of the dialogue from La Pucelle that will appear towards the end of this chapter.

This chapter is undoubtedly my biggest chapter in the story-line thus far, I figured with the giant wait it was the least I could do. Besides, I've been meaning to do this for a while. Now on with the show. There are a lot of flashbacks in this chapter.

* * *

Adell couldn't sleep. 

To many things were on the young man's mind to really sleep. It also didn't help that the entire group had to share one small room meant for a max of three people. Croix and Lamington both slept in the opposite corners on the floor of each other, their necks would obviously be sore from the morning with the way they were sleeping. Kinta slept in a similar fashion. Alouette's small body was wrapped in a few blankets as her head rested against Adell's shoulder. The only noise was the moaning of the ship as it creaked and the occasional odd sound from someone on board.

There were a few things still bothering the martial artist, mainly about what Lamington had told him in private. Alouette was something called a "Maiden Of Light" which, were basically in essence an Avatar of some unknown divine power. From what the Seraph had told him, they healed the sick and fought evil, but more importantly, their purpose was to defeat a being called the Dark Prince. Apparently, he no longer existed. If that wasn't enough, he had just recently discovered that Alouette had been reincarnated into a little girl and she had once been an adult.

Even with this new knowledge, he couldn't picture the shy little girl he had grown fond of as an adult. What troubled him the most was the people that tried to 'kill' Alouette. He wasn't stupid. They had more then enough chances to strike her down, yet they didn't. It was like they had some other unknown objective he wasn't aware of. Lamington had said that they were neither Angel, human or demon-so what were they?

"_Once a Maiden Of Light uses all of her power, he role as Maiden ends, and she returns to Heaven. That is the fate of the Maiden Of Light." _This new revelation from the Angel more then anything bothered him. If Alouette used her powers to much, would she die? Granted it seemed like something had thrown the natural process off track but it was a risk he didn't, no _couldn't_take. It frustrated the young man.

All their enemies were like spiders, hiding in the darkness and just waiting for the moment they let their guard down. They didn't seem to interested in settling things directly, rather, he suspected them to be playing a game of Chess. Unfourtnately, Adell was only above average in Chess, and the people seemed like experts that didn't bother softening their blows. This just meant he would have to adapt. Straight up fighting he was used to, mind games, plans and the like were something he had to adjust to. It wasn't anything new granted, but his previous enemies had been idiots with this sort of thing, more like a pack of small dogs.

His new opponents seemed more like a pack of wolves.

_This isn't getting me anywhere.__No matter how many times I analyze everything, I can't come up with anything new. At this rate, I won't get any rest._ Adell shook his head to himself, he would think about it more in the morning for now he needed sleep. He would be no use to anyone if he didn't get his full strength back after today's small scuffle. Reluctantly allowing his body to relax finally, if not a bit awkwardly he slowly began to drift off to sleep..

* * *

_Holt Village was in a state of panic._

_The curse from the new Over Lord Zenon that was claiming Veldime as his own was starting to take affect in force. People not only from Holt, but from around their own world seemed to be suffering from the effects of the curse, no one seemed to be immune to it._

_Except for a five-year-old named Adell, that is._

_No one knew why that was the case. At first, some claimed it worked differently on adults then children. There was no proof for this theory, however, and some argued differently. What ever the case may have been, the whole village council had decided to make sure Adell was kept an eye on to see if there was a way to counter the curse._

_Monsters had also begun appearing, mostly staying away from Holt but they began gradually getting more and more bold. This naturally worried the villagers, who feared it wouldn't be long before they began attacking directly in only a matter of time. No one had any idea of what to do about the increasingly bleak situation. Adell's parents had once protected this place, but now they were gone-disappearing after confronting Zenon. It was always assumed the two were killed in battle. In either case, it was basically only a matter of time before the village was over ran. Only a matter of when and how they wanted to pick their graves. In the end, the whole situation seemed hopeless._

_Adell, being only a child at the time didn't completely comprehend what was going on with his friends and family. They were starting to change. Not just physically, but he was starting to see a mental change in all of them and he didn't know what to do. The curse, while having no apparent effect on him still bothered him. He felt so hopeless watching his home and people fall apart. There had to be Something he could do. Then an thought occurred to the young boy._

_There was a rumor of a very powerful man that trained exclusively in hand to hand and hard training. Maybe, maybe if he found him and got trained he could defeat Zenon and turn everything back to normal. Determined, the young boy packed a few things and left early the next day while his parents were out._

_When it was discovered Adell went missing, the whole village went in a uproar._

* * *

_ Adell resolve began to waiver once he traveled further from the village. He had never been this far away from home with out anyone with him. The forest, the place he had played in so many times seemed dark and foreboding for one reason or another. He had a feeling of being watched yet there was nothing there as he moved through the eerily silent forest. No animals of any kind, everything was disturbing quite and Adell didn't like it at all._

_Sitting down and taking a break, he rummaged through his backpack and took a small bite out of one of his snacks. A sudden noise caught his attention and he stopped immediately, feeling his chest tighten as a sense of dread and fear slowly began to set in. For a moment, the only sound was the young boy's heavy breathing and the unbearable silence of the forest._

_He kept telling himself it was nothing until he heard a snap of twigs and froze in horror at the creature stalking him. A vaguely humanoid body came into view with unhealthy-looking brown skin that seemed to be cracking. Large arms dragged across the ground with claws scrapping lightly against the lightly damp earth. It's head was twisted the opposite way almost as if's neck had been snapped backwards. When it turned, it's strange head was one the most hideous part of the creature, which was covered by white hair that almost resembled a woman's. It had no "face" but instead had a mouth with sharp and oddly curved teeth. It dragged it's long oddly shaped legs towards Adell._

_No monster he had ever seen had been so vile-looking, it didn't look like anything from Veldime, it didn't even look like anything Zenon had currently. Adell then ran the opposite direction, not caring where he went as long as he got away from that creature. The monster wasn't as slow as one would think and gave chase, a bone-chilling inhuman wail that sounded more like a distorted scream of a woman came from its mouth as it gave chase._

_Adell kept running. Not stopping to look back as he went as fast as his small legs would carry him, he had to get away but the thing wasn't giving up. Was he going to die here? Was it a mistake to come out here by himself? He had been so stupid. Now he was going to die in the middle of nowhere all alone. His lungs began to burn as ran for what seemed like hours, his body finally giving in as the fear-induced adrenaline had long since past. He leaned on a tree as his chaser came into view, lurching forward._

_Then, something unusual happened._

_It's body burst into hot flames as if something had lit it ablaze. Letting out a high-pitched death screech that would have shattered any nearby glass, it melted turning to ash. A old man in his fifties came into view from behind where the monster had been. Dress in some unique-looking white pants along with an equally odd-looking white buttoned up shirt. His hair was tied in a loose pony-tail._

"_This is no place for an child." The man said simply as he walked closer to Adell but kept his distance since he still seemed terrified. "Where are you're parents?"_

"_A-at Holt." Adell managed to say, his heart gradually began to stop feeling like it would pop out of his chest at any moment._

"_I see." The man waited for a moment for the boy to calm down. "I would like to see if you are wounded, is that fine with you?" When he got a nod, the older man moved closer so he could better examine him. Seeing a small wound, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a long bandage and began to expertly apply it the wound. Satisfied at his handy work, he stood up and backed away. "What's you're name little one?"_

"_Adell." Adell was starting to regain his bearings at last._

"_Adell." The man repeated simply as if testing it out. "My name is Kane. I'll take you back home, it's not safe for anyone to be moving through this forest anymore. I have to ask, what were you doing here by yourself?"_

_Adell shifted, a bit uncomfortably. Something about the stranger's gaze. "..I wanted to find someone to train me."_

"_Hmm, no doubt you've heard about the fighter that lives around here?" Kane already knew the answer but he decided to play along. "But why would someone as young as yourself travel in a dangerous forest to meet such a person?"_

"_I have to defeat Zenon!" Then the red-head added more quietly. "If I don't..then my family will..."_

_Kane said nothing for a long time. "That sort of determination is an admirable trait especially as such a young age. However, you have a lot to learn before you even think about such a thing. Come on, we've wasted enough time."_

_As the two headed back towards Holt, Adell had a feeling there was something he wasn't telling._

* * *

"_Where Have you been?!" Adell's mother was past furious when he finally came home, cut and bruised but alive. The curse may have changed something's about his mother, but it wasn't that far a long that it would completely erase her maternal instincts. The father was trying to keep thing's mild with little success as the family had a "pleasant" reunion in the living room. Kane, having been invited in simply stood in the background, face blank of all emotion. It was impossible to even guess what he was thinking or feeling._

"_I..." _

"_You weren't even thinking were you?! What if something happened to you and this man hadn't came?"_

"_I-I'm sorry." Adell's small voice cracked as he tried to keep from crying._

_Surprisingly, it was the father who stepped in and calmed things down. "Dear, don't you think that's enough? Look were you doing to him." It was rare for him to talk to the mother like this, usually he was seen cowering from her gaze or just agreeing with her. He usually didn't bump heads at all._

_She was about to retort when she took notice to how Adell was looking at the moment. Almost immediately, her anger evaporated into nothing and she crouched down, giving him a tight hug. "I'm sorry to. I was just..worried." Calming down more, she stood back up and looked at Kane who had been quite the whole time. "Thank you."_

"_It's nothing." He then turned around. "I have more important things to take care of."_

"_Wait. We still haven't thought of Adell's punishment. I think you should hear it." The mother began."I want you to train Adell. That's what he went all that way for. Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't want other people knowing who you are would you?"_

_Kane turned around. Did this woman know? He studied her face, she didn't seem to be bluffing or joking for that matter. So, she was threatening him. Strangely instead of being annoyed he found himself liking this woman, she'd make a good business woman in the Underworld. Besides, maybe training the boy wouldn't be so bad._

_A light chuckle came from him. "You drive a hard bargain. Fine. I'll train the boy, he'll have to wake up early and I'm not babying him."_

_And that was how training first started between Adell and his teacher._

* * *

"_Up."_

_Adell groaned and turned over, sun almost baking his eyes from the harsh heat. He was training and was in his eighth year into it. At first it was fairly simple task for him to do, then with out warning the difficulty ramped up a lot. Kane pushed him very hard, but he always seemed to know when he truly couldn't do something. Adell liked the challenge of it though, he liked pushing himself past his limits even at his age._

_That didn't mean he liked waking up early._

_Slowly getting to his feet, the young boy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as his vision began to focus and adjust to the bright sun. His teacher was standing some ways away now, looking off into the distance at something he couldn't see. "You're finally up. Are you ready for today's lessons?"_

"_Yes Sensei." Adell replied simply, making it a habit of calling Kane that. He had drilled that into him the first week. Kane was an interesting individual by himself. He didn't talk to much except when needed or there was something on his mind. The time's he talked the most was when they had what was called "lessons" which Kane would force Adell to think and use his brain instead of just his brawn._

_Kane was catching a small rock as he tossed it softly up in the air a few feet. While it didn't seem like much, it was one of the rocks that was much harder then even steel. "You see this rock? It doesn't look like much, but let's pretend for a moment, this rock is Zenon. Average people can't hope to defeat Zenon or even hurt him, similarly, how even with my strength I can't break it." _

_He crushed the rock and then showed Adell, it was still in one piece."Raw power won't work on this sort of thing. So, in order to overcome such powerful foes I must learn to either out think him or use his power against them. Now, what if I used a different approach?" Kane then opened one hand to show his student, and used the finger of his opposite hand, lightly tapping a certain part of the object. Moments later, it began to crack before breaking in half._

_Adell's eyes blinked slightly. "How did...?" _

"_I simply found the weak point in the object, and expanded it. You see, objects and people no matter how strong have a weak point in some way. Once you find it, you can expand it and take advantage of you're enemy. This takes many years to learn, some spend their whole lives studying it and are barely able to use it. If you're lucky, you will be the exception to the rule." _

_Kane then discarded the rock. "Now we can begin the real training."_

* * *

_ Adell waited for what seemed like forever, but his teacher hadn't shown up yet. It was like him though, making him wait for a while before showing up. Kane had said it was to give him time to think about his lessons and hone his techniques, but he honestly couldn't say for sure. An whole two weeks had passed since he had been showed the principal behind the fighting art he was being taught. On the surface it seemed simple enough but was in truth infinitely complicated more then it needed to._

_He couldn't break the rocks, at least not the way Kane had did. Sure, the young man now had enough strength to crush rocks on his own power but his teacher had done it differently. Instead of using brute force, he had somehow found the 'weak' point of the rock and expanded it. But the question was, how? What was the secret? What was the weak point and how did he expand it exactly?_

_Frustrating as it was, Kane was no help nor did he give any further instructions wanting him to 'figure it out' on his own. This teaching method had mixed results for the average person but Adell learned quickly and he was really competitive when it came to learning everything he could on his own. There was a drive there, an fire, and that's what made him excel no matter what the odds are._

"_Maybe if I.." Adell muttered to himself as he tried to find the fatal flaw of the object but had no success, instead nothing happened._

"_Still working on it I see." Kane came in, walking casually to see his progress._

"_Yeah. It's hard but I'm going to learn it soon or later if I keep at it." Adell swore to himself._

"_That's good. I think we'll have another exercise for now." His teacher walked closer to Adell who was by a cliff, water from twenty-feet down below waited on the bottom. "And Adell.."_

"_Yes..?" Adell had a bad feeling._

"_Hold you're breath."_

_Those were the last piece of advice Adell got from his teacher before he kicked him off the cliff as he plunged into the water. Surprisingly or not, it didn't scare him. This strangely was part of the training that Kane made Adell go through every once in a while. Even so, he hated suddenly getting wet when he wasn't ready for it, then again that was sort of the point._

_The water's current was strong and pulled him along so he went with it rather then fight it. The worse part of this 'exercise' was the waterfall up ahead. It wouldn't kill him but it was still a pain to deal with. Adell prepared himself as the water began to flow faster as his body was forced over the waterfall. As Adell sunk into the water, moments later his small head broke out of the blue surface as he swam to shore, Kane was already there waiting on a rock for him like nothing out of the ordinary had taken place._

"_Four minutes and thirty seconds Adell. A little slow this time." Kane said, slightly disappointed._

"_I'll do better next time. I've been wondering though, why such an extreme training method? Wasn't there other ways to go about it?" Adell wrung his shirt about as dry as he possibly could with out a towel._

"_Actually, this is nothing. My Over Lord I served would have harsher training methods. If you had served him, he would have thrown you off with weights attached. Other training included throwing vassals off cliffs for endurance, getting hit with heavy objects at high speeds and the like." His teacher explained._

"_..If they use weights, then some people must've drown right?"_

"_Yes. He believed in natural selection. The strong went forward to be his vassals and the rest drown or broke their necks painfully."_

"_Oh.."_

"_Not that I would ever go to that extreme but some of his methods are a bit useful."_

* * *

Adell opened his eyes as the moon light glared at him from an angle through the right window. Blinking, he looked away from it, slightly irritated until his eyes refocused and his vision cleared. From the looks of things, it still seemed to be night time-everyone was sleep save for Lamington. Alouette remained with her head leaned against him and the others still slept hard, oblivious to the world around them. 

_I remember that. But why would I dream about my training days? Strange memory to recall now at all times.__At least now I know why the forest I met Alouette in made me uneasy, it was just like the other one I met Kane in. Now that I think about it, why did they feel so alike?_

"Can't sleep?"The Angel's soft voice called from his side of the room cut off his thoughts. Croix was up as well cleaning one of his massive guns with a towel and some other cleaning materials silently. It was impossible to see what he was feeling with the shades of his still on, it seemed like he never took them off.

"..More or less." Adell replied. "It wasn't an bad dreamor anything, just an old memory that came out of nowhere." He hesitated slightly, glancing at Alouette who was still sleeping peacefully for the time being. "I really don't like the idea of hiding this sort of thing from her, and normally I wouldn't go along with it. But, I know that this sort of thing is to much for a little kid to handle hearing all at once. Heck, it's probably something a lot of adults couldn't handle."

"I understand, but as of right now we have little choice. Think of it this way, everyone only get's one chance at childhood to just be a child. In this case, she gets a second. She'll grow up soon enough with out us speeding up the process."

Shifting lightly to make himself and Alouette more comfortable, Adell agreed. "You're right." _..But I have a feeling she'll have to if this goes on. Already she had to see both her grandparents die no child-no. No one should have to see that sort of thing. _He looked at the Maiden. _I don't know how you do it kiddo. You're a lot stronger mentally then me at that age, that's for sure._

"Those people that were causing trouble earlier, were they Angels?" Croix opened a certain compartment of his weapon as he changed the ammunition of his gun. "I don't think they were demons and I know demon's of all types even the humanoid ones and those two didn't exactly fit into the bill. Comes with my territory."

"No." Lamington said simply. "They felt similar but they felt like a completely different kind of being. If I'm right, those two were Celestials."

"Ce-what?" Adell repeated.

"Celestials. Beings similar to and often mistaken for Angels. From what I read on them, they are more or less the right hand of the Higher Powers." His grey bangs covered his face for a moment as a frown slowly formed. "Our enemies or rather Alouette's seem to be agents of Heaven itself."

Croix interrupted to voice his two cents."Wait a minute. You're telling me, the people were fighting are apart of Heaven?So, the 'goodguys'are trying to_ kill_ a little girl for some unknown vague reason. If this isn't irony at it's best, I don't know what is."

"Yea..." Adell seemed to be thinking of something. "Nothing is ever what it seems these days."

Adell, Croix and Lamington both rested in a comfortable peaceful silence. It was usually rare for this kind of silence to be comfortable around people that didn't know each other that well, which in itself was a good sign.

"Hey, Lamington." Adell started after a while. "Since you're a Seraph I thought you might know about this. I had a teacher named Kane, he said he worked for an Over Lord. I was wondering if you knew anybody named Kane?"

A look of what could have been surprise overtook Lamington's normal stoic expression.It had been a while since he heard that name. "Yes I have. If it's the Kane I'm thinking of, then he worked for an Under Lord instead by the name of Seedle. Seedle is very cruel so it's no surprise Kane defected and ended up in Veldime. Kane is the one that taught you how to fight, correct? And the martial art you practice, it involves using fire correct?"

"Pretty much." Adell said, not seeing where he was going with it.

The Seraph continued to put his point home. "This mean's you're probably the sole practitioner alive in that particular fighting-style. You see, Kane's fighting-style is very unique, besides him there were only a few scattered around that actual usedit. It's name has been forgotten so there is no one universal name for it. If you learn to useit to it's fullest potential, you'd have a easier time with the enemies that lay ahead."

"That's the thing. I dunno how." Adell rubbed the back of his head softly. "Kane even said he's been training his whole life and barely scratched the surface. And I never got the chance to fully go into how it worked exactly before he died..."

"I expected as much. We'll all have to step up and push ourselves if we hope to see this to the end." It was at that moment, Adell noticed Lamington seemed very tired for some reason. Not much as his body language but just his eyes."It's probably best to sleep right now. Don't worry so much, you're not fighting alone anymore."

Adell agreed almost absent-mindedly on the thought but it didn't really set in until he felt his body slowly sink into oblivion once more.

The whole ship suddenly shook violently waking everyone in the room up.

Alouette woke up very startled from waking up in such a fashion, Croix seemed more calm about the whole thing, while Kinta simply opened her eyes at first. Lamington wasn't bothered as much only because he wasn't sleep even half way in the first place. Adell would have reacted a bit more strongly, but since Alouette was close to him he didn't want to take the chance of accidentally hurting her.

Another violent shake of the ship nearly knocked Croix off his feet who had gotten up, as well as anyone else trying to get their bearings.

"What the hell?" Croix muttered in a low tone of voice, wondering what was going on with the ship.

"It's probably just-"The sentence from Lamington was cut off as a odd sound like a piece of wood breaking apart followed by a creaking noise. Moments later, water began shooting out of the left part of the room slowly filling the place up followed by more holes breaking out through out the whole room.

"I don't know what's going on and don't care but we need to go. _Now."_Adell grabbed the now fully conscious Alouetteand made for the exit followed by the other three.Kinta closed the door behind them to keep the water from rushing out but it only slowed it down to an small extent. Many of the passengers were already up on the deck, obviously distressed about what was going on. Sailors were running around trying to repair damages to the large ship but despite it being a heavy thunder and rain storm, that wasn't the cause of the current crisis.

Four sleeker-looking ships flanked the passenger ship from four angles, boxing them in. They were all bulkier in terms of armor for protection and unlike their prey in the middlethey were armed to the teeth. It was very obvious that these newcomer vessels were part of this infamous navy Adell had been hearing about. No one could say otherwise that they didn't mean business. Already, he could see ropes with some hooks snagged in for their attempt to climb aboard.

Harvey was finally seen to the side, barking orders like a sergeant, making the young sailors try to hack away at the ropes furiously. It wasn't working to well, as the combination of rain and the fact that pocket knives weren't the sharpest stalled their progress. Kinta caught on quick enough and went to go help the sailors as Harvey rushed over to Adell and the others.

"Yer just in time. The empire's dogs found us." The sea captain said, strangely not out of breath despite running around and barking orders.

"Anything we can do to help?" Croix had an idea of what sort of 'help' they could provide. And frankly the thought of shooting a bunch of fanatics that were in likeness the same people that killed Angelique didn't bother him as much. A part of him wandered if that was a good or bad thing but now wasn't the time nor the place.

"Get them off our ass. I don't care what you do, if you can do something just do it." Harvey was about to say more when something the sailors were doing caught his attention. Cursing like the captain he was, he ran over to do damage control.

Adell thought, then analyzed the whole situation like he had been taught to do. There were four ships total, so they would need to take out the biggest threat of the group. The one in front probably needed to be taken care of ASAP. "Lamington, you can fly right? Take Croix and drop him off the ship in the front ship, it's the biggest threat."

"I don't mind being dropped off, but what are you going to do?" Croix asked, rechecking his gun which was fully loaded. Good. He was going to need every bullet probably.

"Someone needs to stay with Alouette." Adell explained, not missing a beat. "Besides, it would be easier to defend the ship with more then just Kinta. I don't think their gonna sink it right away, if they were we would be in the water right now."

Lamington thought about it only for a second before going along with the idea. "Very well." Grabbing hold of Croix with one hand, the Seraph and the Gun-using Demon Hunter were soon out of sight as they braved through the storm, the weather made it impossible to see them after a short distance almost.

"Adill.." Alouette said in a shaky voice. "I'm scared." She was smart enough to know something was wrong, that and she could feel something.

"Hey don't worry we can get through this." Adell offered with a reassuring smile.

She shook her head. "No. Something is coming.."

This caused him to frown a bit. "What is?"

"I-I don't know. It just feels.._angry."_

Adell had noted many instances of Alouette's sensing powers were for the most part accurate at the least in some form or another. If something really was wrong, and she had indicated as such, then it wasn't something to be scoffed at. He was about to say something when he heard a strange roar and that's when he saw it.

Floating was a dragon that was impossibly large, it was silver and white in color that seemed to act like a beacon in the darkness of the storm. Looming over them ominously, it's body didn't seem to be supported by wings of any type, instead the whole creature was more shaped like a sky serpent then anything else. Moving through the sky smoothly and easily as one walked on the ground, it struck it's first victim, and in this case one of the attacking ships.

It's tail struck through it like wet tissue paper, the vessel giving breaking in half in a similar fashion to a toy as the cries of the people onboard were drowned from the fury of the storm. Arrows from a sister ship launched at the strange creature, but instead of piercing or even hitting the thing, it went through it's body like a ghost.

_This must be what she was talking about.. _Adell didn't know why but something was odd about the dragon besides it's abilities. It seemed odd to him that it would travel out in the middle of nowhere and then focus on attacking some boats. _Could it be with those people? _He didn't have time to think further as the thing suddenly got through with wrecking the enemy ships before charging full speed at them._This is going to hurt._

You couldn't hurt what you couldn't hit so fighting it was out of the question, he would just have to brace himself and Alouette and hope for the best. It didn't disappoint them. A sound almost similar to thunder was heard when it collided head on into the ship. Adell felt his center of gravity pull him backwards as the ship was broken in half and began to sink, crashing into the cold water moments later.

For a moment, all he could see was blue that seem to engulf him and expand endlessly. His first instinct was to hold his breath before impact, so he had saved himself a lot of grief in the long run. Adell kicked his legs violently as his head burst through the surface of the cold depths and he took a look around. It was then he realized he was missing something.

_Alouette._

The moment the realization hit him, panic and fear as cold as the water he currently swam in gripped his heart tightly. He needed to find her quickly, he knew the others could possibly be in trouble as well, but they all could take care of themselves on different levels. Diving in the water he began looking for any sign of the young Maiden of Light but didn't see anything. His lungs burned and he soon had to break to the surface. He mentally cursed himself for not training in underwater like Kane had once suggested.

Again, he dived into the dark depths, and again he found nothing. _No she's here. _He said to himself stubbornly as he prepared another dive refusing to give up when he heard what sounded like a cry for help. Head turning to the general direction of the distant noise, Adell swam over as he saw a small blonde-head barely able to keep out of the water. Determination taking over his being, he pushed himself harder until he reached the small form, grabbing a hold of Alouette.

"Don't worry I got you." Whether Alouette heard him or not he didn't know, but she clung tightly to him for dear life, which might not be that far from a stretch. Over head the dragon seemed to circle around the area for something despite the fact all the ships were more or less deep into the ocean. It's silver-hued body lazily flew around until the head of the creature turned in their general direction.

_Damn it, not now. _Adell couldn't think of any way to avoid it. "Alouette, hold you're breath as long as you can." He prepared himself and dived into the water once he was sure as the dragon focused an intense fury that was to insane to be human or even animal. This act still didn't stop the beast from attacking them, an silver energy ball forming in it's maw before it turned to a deadly beam aimed straight towards them. Adell knew while in the water he would be far to sluggish to use his speed like normal to defend against attacks, which meant they would take the full impact of it.

Closing his eyes, he waited in anticipation for the pain to explode through his body but felt none which itself was odd. Opening his eyes, Adell noticed a small see-through white barrier almost like a bubble that hummed peacefully as it protected them both from harm. Alouette didn't even seem to realize she was doing in, almost like she was in a trance. Another thing he noticed was that he could, in fact breath inside the bubble. Adell looked above to see that the dragon seemed to think they were dead as it flew off South for reasons unknown.

This was the second time with in two days time he thought for sure he was going to die, this was coming far to common but it came with the "job". He was, after all more or less the unofficial guardian and bodyguard of an mini Avatar of an Goddess. Cautiously, he began to go back to the surface and tried to snap Alouette out of her trance-like state she had gone into. He didn't like it.

It was almost like she wasn't completely there at the time.

Taking a full minute, the child snapped out of what ever had happened her moments ago now seemed very drained and tired. What ever she had done had taken up a lot of energy. It was making him worry again because of what Lamington had said, if this kept up then it might not end to well. Strangely after the dragon left, the storm began to die down almost next to nothing, which was far to convenient to be a coincidence. Something else was up, he knew that much.

A object from the corner of his eye became slightly visible but more and more clear as it came closer. At first he was wary that it was yet another threat but was pleasantly surprised to see a small boat with no other then Croix, Lamington and Kinta all inside. No one else seemed to be with them, which was fine since it seemed small enough as is.

"Hey! Over here!" He raised his voice and waved his hands slightly just to get their attention which worked as they rowed over. Croix and Kinta helped pull both of the two out of the water with little trouble at all. The only problem was Alouette was freezing and if left unchecked could make her very sick.

Lamington took off his long robe which(surprisingly) wasn't really wet at all and gently wrapped it around the small blonde child who did nothing but curl into herself for more warmth. "She'll be fine. She just needs some rest." He assured the worried Adell, for his part rolled onto his back looking tired from the ordeal they had just went through. Nothing but silence passed between the group for an awkward moment.

Croix broke up the silence by saying simply, "I don't know about you guys, but I hate dragons."

A throaty laugh came from Adell, it wasn't even all that funny honestly but still the comment was needed. "Heh...I need to get...used to this again. Wake me when we find something." Right now, he was going to go into a coma-like sleep at the moment. One thing was for sure though...

..This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Somehow they managed to reach the shore and get off the small boat, after what seemed like hours. It hadn't been good for Adell's or Croix's health as the constant tossing of the small boat had done a number on their stomach. Lamington and Kinta didn't seem to mind, but then they did an awful good job at keeping what ever complaints they had to themselves. Alouette had gotten worse during the trip, she was burning up with a fever which made the group slow down constantly so she could rest. Lamington could do nothing to heal her; his healing power only worked on actual wounds, not illness. 

At the least, Adell, Croix and Kinta all had various levels of living off the land so they weren't completely stuck on their luck.. Croix's weapon made it ideal for hunting down any game they needed, so food wasn't that much of a problem. Adell was still worried about Alouette and it showed by the way he was a bit more withdrawn, either from thinking or something else no one could say exactly.

Alouette slept most of the time, only waking up to eat just enough food not to starve before going to sleep again. She kept rather close to Adell during the whole time, though the young man didn't mind in the least. Their time had been short together but it was easy to tell the two already had some sort of bond like brother and sister almost. Adell was starting to wonder though, why had so many people died? First the riot, then Alouette's grand parents and now all those people on the ship...

It wasn't fair.

But he had other things to worry about, priorities were in order. Right now they needed to find some sort of town or city so Alouette could recover, she was already sickly-looking and this environment wasn't making it any better. _I have to be strong. Otherwise, it will bring everyone else down completely._

Much easier said then done. Things were different then they were during his journey to defeat Zenon. That was another time. He had been very naive in the way he thought everything would always work out in the end, that good always triumphed over the bad. But he had grown up since then, or maybe he had become slightly jaded, he couldn't be sure anymore. It was just he had seen so much during his short time here: the riots, the cruel coldness of the place. And for once he was seeing why his teacher had said the Netherworld wasn't bad as people thought. The human one, it had a different feel to it. Everything just seemed more real and personal but Adell for the life of him couldn't exactly put his finger on it.

"We're almost there I recognize this forest now." Croix interrupted Adell's thoughts. "Pot au Feu City has some very good doctors, they'll know how to handle this once we get there."

"That's good." Adell agreed. "I don't care where we go as long as she gets well. The sooner, the better."

Thirty minutes to an hour later they arrived at the city, Adell couldn't tell and didn't care by this point as long as they got there. The city was crowded around this time, going about their business like nothing out of the ordinary was going on. It was funny the way life went on no matter what happened when it had stopped completely for others. Time truly waited for no one.

Croix and his group got their share of looks but no one payed them any mind as they headed directly towards the church of the Holy Maiden. Nuns had stopped what they were doing, clearly surprised to see the Demon Hunter.

"She needs help." Croix said to the surprised Nuns.

"O-of course." One of the Nuns got over the initial surprise of seeing Croix again. "Please follow me." Adell and the rest followed her into the infirmary, the beds were clean and well kept Gently, he placed the still sleeping Alouette on the bed, who only squirmed lightly but otherwise didn't move or awaken from her sleep.

"Is she going to be ok?" Adell asked worriedly.

The nurse at the current time looked her over, before saying anything. "Not to worry, your daughter will be fine. She just needs rest and some medication."

Adell shook his head. "No I'm just her friend."

"Oh. My apologies." The nurse said, getting up. "I'll leave you people alone for now." She exited out of the room, probably to get all the things she needed.

"Don't worry to much." Croix saw the look on Adell's face. "The doctors at Pot au Feu are second probably only to the medical training at the royal family."

"Yea. Guess your right." Adell took a seat in an empty chair and waited. He shouldn't be this worried as it was just a fever from what he could tell but it still bothered him.

"Not now Prier."

"This will only take a second."

Croix instantly knew who the voices belonged to, it showed by the almost comical expression of 'what do I do?' on his face. Obviously, he wasn't expecting this encounter or at the least so soon.

Prier and Culotte came into view. It wasn't the fact that the Adell and the rest looked out of the ordinary that stopped them, or even the sleeping little girl. What made them both pause was seeing Croix, no one spoke for sometime.

Croix responded intelligently.

"..Uh hi Prier."

* * *

Longnius thought that even if he didn't have the use of arms, that wasn't going to stop him from being independent. He would simply have other's help him with basic task such as moving, but then when he thought about it, it was impossible for him to be completely independent. So, as not to be teased by Krich, and Angelique's gentle encouragement it was all right, he grudgingly allowed other's to help him more on a day to day basis. 

The encounter with the Underlord Seedle was soon but a memory to the group, though none would forget it or Krichevskoy's personality change. It wasn't like the easy-going Over Lord to be that worked up about something, but everyone thought it was best not to ask for now. Sometimes it was best not to ask certain questions and wait for the right time to ask them. Beside, he was the father of Laharl which meant he did have a bad temper somewhere in there.

Even if he acknowledged these limitations he refused to roll over, and at the moment was playing a game of chess with Noir. In order for him to have some control, he made his Chess partner move his pieces when he said any of the numbered positions out loud. Sure, it wasn't perfect but at the least he didn't feel like he was being babied.

For the first time since him and Noir had dueled each other in a battle of the minds, Longnius finally victory in his grasp...or rather in this case, the equivalent closes to hands. Now the problem still remained: which move should he take to insure his victory? If he made a mistake now, then it would cost him yet another game. As he scanned the board, he looked at Noir who seemed to be for the most part unreadable in his facial expression, typical. Feeling anxious, he was about to make a move when he saw an opening he could exploit. _This is it. _As soon as the thought came, the fates seemed to take great pleasure in taking away his short-lived excitement.

The cat that normally hung around the library bounded over, hopping on top of the table and carelessly knocking over the Chess pieces and effectively nullifying the game. It purred gently, rubbing against Noir who softly pet the animal like nothing was out of place. Longnius glared at the devilish creature who seemed to be looking at him with a mocking expression. It was at the moment he hated the cat as much as Gnoss, we'll maybe not Gnoss. That was a bit to strong.

"Stalemate?" Noir asked softly.

"Stalemate. For now." The spear said unhappily. "I would have won, if it weren't for that creature."

"Perhaps." Was the simple reply, Noir didn't care either way as far the matches the two had. It was just something to pass the time and keep their minds sharp and he had fun doing it. However, Longnius was _horribly_competitive and ever since he had bested him many times, he had taken it upon himself to try beat him in a game. So far, he hadn't been so fortunate but Noir knew if this continued, the sentient weapon would eventually beat him one day. It was only a matter of when.

"..How are you're memories coming along?"

The sudden and radical change of topic caught the half-demon off guard, not that it showed. "I can remember bits and pieces but not enough to form them together. The more I remember, the more I don't want to remember the past.."

If he could, Longnius would have tilted his head. "Why is that?"

"I don't want to discuss it right now." Noir said in a mild tone but it had finality to it, in which his friend understood and didn't press. "If you don't mind me asking, how did King Krichevskoy die?"

The question was slightly unexpected. For the most part, Noir and Krich rarely talked to one another. It wasn't as if there was any sign of animosity towards one another, it was simply Noir by his very nature seemed to be a very reserved person. Angelique was one of the few people he gave more then two words or five sentences to, but he was slowly opening to the rest as well. At the least, he wasn't closing himself in the library or his room all the time now.

"That's an interesting question..." Longnius thought about it, recalling that day.

* * *

_ Cargo was had a stopwatch as he watched the late Over Lord Krich chow down on a impossibly large amount of what looked to be black pretzels. A rather sizable bib was on him that read: 'Number One Dad' on it. Longnius was nowhere to be found at the moment, but then neither was Gnoss which was itself a god send(If they believed in gods that was)._

"_All right! Five-hundred more to go and you'll beat the record." The Gargoyle praised him as Krich continued to devour the pretzels a mile a minute, he didn't even seem to hear him. Looking at his stopwatch, he checked it one more time before setting it again. "I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be back soon keep it up champ."_

_Krich watched his vassal leave from the corner of his eye but continued to eat in peace, until the inevitable occurred, Gnoss came.__Maybe, just maybe if he ignored him long enough he would get bored and go away._

_If only he were that lucky._

"_Wow! Krichy! I didn't know you__could eat that much, you can really pack it away huh?" Gnoss didn't take the general rule of a Krich ignoring someone as a sign to walk away slowly. "It's for one of those eating contest right? I'd eat to but I can't ever seem to hold it in my stomach. Lacking a sold body and all. Maybe if I had a paper bag."_

_Again, King Krich ignored him, still savaging his food._

"_Ah. No words eh? That's cool, you gotta concentrate on that right now I respect that. I'll just keep ya company." Gnoss continued cheerfully. "Y'know, I heard that if you eat to much of those things, it can be bad for you're heart. Or was that twinkies? I forgot. Before I forget, I think..Oh wait.."_

_As Gnoss continued to ramble about everything and nothing, Krich began holding his neck, gagging as a pretzel got caught in his throat. This caught the attention of Gnoss, who thought something else._

"_You must have beaten the record! I'm so happy for you Krich." Gnoss was completely and utterly oblivious to the real deal._

"_I'mchokingyouidoit!"_

"_I wasn't able to hear you buddy, you gotta see it more clearly instead of talking with you're mouth full." He came closer and that's when Krich sprung at him, his hands tightly around the ghost's throat. "..Hey...Krich..It's kind of hard to breath."__Gnoss became(more) pale then he already was because of the choke hold._

_The soon to be former Over Lord grip lessened somewhat but still had a death grip on him._

"_Gnoss! What the hell did you do?!" Cargo came over, prying__the fingers from Gnoss, each making a snapping sound since it took effort to get him off._

"_I didn't do anything. I think he fainted from happiness." _

_Gnoss stupidity never ceased to amaze him.__Cargo looked at King Krich, his face twisted in a snarl/grimace. "He's not unconscious. He's dead."_

"_Oh." The Ghost said, before it finally clicked. "Oh snap."_

* * *

"...So, he died by trying to prove himself in a contest?" Noir asked slowly. 

"Yes. Not to many people know how he really died, and it's better that way. Krichevskoy has always been a bit on the goofy side, it's just that he can be serious when he needs to." Longnius explained. "Most people are surprised when they truly get to know him. There is more to it, but it's not my place to say, you'd have to ask him."

"I see. I still have one question, if Gnoss is truly a ghost, how did Krichevskoy manage to choke him?"

"...Some thing's are better left unasked. Let's leave it at that."

An sound like an explosion was heard coming from the kitchen area and Krichevskoy slowly walked over, his hair disheveled and his clothes slightly burnt. "I wondered what I did wrong? We won't be able to eat anything by cooking tonight."

If possible, Longnius would have turned his head at him. "You destroyed the oven _again_I thought we agreed only Angelique would touch the oven?"

"..We'll it wasn't the oven this time. I was trying to make some popcorn in the microwave and I guess I left it on to long and it kind of exploded..." The King rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'll get Angelique then." Noir said simply and with out another word began walking up the stairs, seeing how the most logical choice was to get her before they starved to death. Honestly, Noir could handle himself when it came to food, but Krich was pretty much hopeless unless it was food you didn't have to prepare at all. It was baffling how someone messed up that badly with popcorn but that was another mystery for another day. Angelique being in her room this late was rather odd, she was almost always up and about working and running around, this didn't seem like her. _There's always more to people then what you can see on the surface._

He knocked softly on the door and waited for a moment before the door was cracked and the young woman appeared. She seemed tired. Not physically but something that couldn't be seen by those who hadn't gone through similar experiences. Itwas a thing he almost instantlynoticed, as Angelique seemed to lack her usual drive today. Either way, it was none of his concern. Why bring up painful memories, when he himself disliked going over the details?

"Is something wrong?" Angelique asked quietly.

"Krichevskoy has managed to destroy part of the kitchen again." Noir went silent for a minute. "..Is there something a matter?"

"No. No, I'm just tired." An small smile formed, but it seemed forced. "Let's go, I've been in the room long enough."

"Very well." Noir turned to walk away but said something some might be surprised to hear. "If you ever need to talk about demons of the past, I'm here. And I'm sure Krichevskoy is as well."

Angelique seemed to genuinely smile at that bit of news. "I'll remember that."

Becoming silent again, Noir only nodded as he walked back downalong side the healer. He spoke little but the words he did speak seemed to have made Angelique feel better even if it didn't seem much. Sometimes, it was the smallest things that helped people when they were feeling down for one reason or another.

Krichevskoy was waitingby the door sitting at the table as the two came down. "Angelique, are you all right? You've been in you're room for a long time."It was actually the spear that had asked the question first.

"Thank you for asking but I'm fine now." Angelique sounded honest enough. "We'll go pick something up to eat."

Krichevskoy nodded. "That's fine. I'll...pay for the damages since it's my fault. I got impatient and this what happened." He just hoped the owner of the mansion wasn't mad at him and kicked him out. Though, no one really saw them that much since they were always out. And when they did see them, they were always covered so it was impossible to see what they looked like. The only thing they knew probably for sure was the owner's name and the fact they were female.

* * *

The three(or four if you count a certain weapon) all headed out into the strange city together at the same for only the first time. Even Krich had to admit that impaling himself with Longnius through the gut might possibly be more pleasant then eating his own cooking. Which was almost as bad as feeding Super-Man Krptonite. 

Noir felt himself feel himself edge towards the paranoid side once they began walking in the strange city. He felt like somebody or something was watching them, yet he didn't see anything out of the ordinary so he tried to dismiss it.It wasn't an easy task for him since his stay in the prison, the only thing he could trust was his instincts, and to suddenly ignore them didn't feel right.Now that he was free, he needed to stop listening to the paranoid voice in his head but it refused to be silent and bothered him even now.

Even Krichevskoy seemed to be slightly on edge, making both Noir worried and relieved at the same time. This meant he wasn't going crazy and there was, in fact something wrong. On the other hand, this meant that possible real danger was present. It wasn't concrete yet and neither of the men wanted to alarm Angelique so they tried to act 'normal' as possible.

The 'city' itself was something both Noir and Angelique still struggled to get used to, being from a place with a much lower technology level. Until recently, the two wouldn't have been able to make heads or tails of most things here but they have made progress. Angelique had been here longer so it would go with out saying, Noir's progress however was rapid. It only two months he had learned and picked up many of the differences that this world had compared to his, even if he still had a bit to go.

"Here you are."

"Thank you." Angelique said politely to the clerk as they bought their food from a small stand.

They hadn't bothered going to one of those bigger buildings to shop for food. Krich had accidentally broken something because he wantedto see if it was unbreakable like in the commercials, so he tested it. Suffice to say, it wasn't unbreakable(Much to Krich's disappointment) and broke easily under the Demon Over Lord's strength. Angelique had apologized for her friend's actions but the manager wanted none of it. When Krichevskoy pointed out that the unbreakable item was false advertisement had sealed their fates. Now they weren't allowed_ within _a fifty feet radius of the premises.

This didn't bother the Over Lord much. Saying that the store had poor customer service and that they were better off with out the place. It would have been easier if they were allowed back inside the stores but Angelique made due with what they had and didn't bother complaining about it.At the least they were done with their errands

As the group traveled across a bridge, both Noir and Krichevskoy feeling someone was stalking them increased by the second and both of them stopped walking around the same time.

Angelique stopped once her companions stood still, something was wrong. "What's wrong?"

"Someone's been following us." Krich said simply. "Come out, I know you're there."

"I would expect no less from a former Over Lord." A figure that appeared seemingly out of thin air finally made their presence known. It was hard to see the person in detail since they were cloaked from head to toe in white, this just annoyed the King.

Krich said in an even tone. "Hiding behind cloaks doesn't make you cool or mysterious, it's outdated. What do you want?"

"Him." The figure pointed to Noir. "At least it was going to be just him. Unfourtnately, I have word you helped him escape from prison, so you will have to come with me as well."

Noir's eyes weren't readable but they seemed to have hardened. "I have no reason trust anyone running a _self-proclaimed_legal authority wearing a cloak."

Looking back between all three, the cloaked person chuckled. "I see. You seem to think that man with you is innocent, that's cute. If you knew some of the things he has done in the past, I wonder if you would be so eager to trust him, let alone protect him."

"It doesn't matter now. Noir is Noir." Angelique's voice was surprisingly firm for once.

"Foolish sentiments such as those will get you killed How someone can be that naive and be you're age alludes me.." The man said with disdain as he looked at the young woman. "Then again seeing as you're here in this realm, I suppose that optimism and naivete is why you're here in the first place."

Apparently, that had struck a nerve somehow in Angelique and slightly hurt look came upon her face. Krich had enough of this idiot. It was time to do his favorite thing besides throwing Prinnies, which were beating up on pompous morons who thought they were important. Off handily, he wondered if his son Laharl felt the same way every timer he did his Mid-Boss impressions.

A sickly red demonic aura came around Krichevskoy, causing the other two to back away to avoid the soon-to-be one sided fight. This only happened when he was really angry so who ever the person was, probably would need immediate medical attention afterwards. "I think it's time you left. Walk away or be carried away."

This didn't seem to bother the stranger. "What? And accidentally kill or injure anybody minding their own business? My, you're reckless Krichevskoy."

Krich grunted, as his aura dissipated. The mocking reminded him so much of that pale as a corpse bastard Seedle. "I don't _need_to go all out on you."

"I'm glad you feel that way." The figure said, chuckling lightly. "We'll take a rain check for this fight, remember, the Goddess is watching you." In a white flash of light, his physical body disappeared, a strange ball of light moving upwards as his cloak floated harmlessly to the ground.

Nobody spoke a word as Krichevskoy frowned, picking up the robe. "I wonder.." He said seemingly to himself and no one in particular. Longnius remained silent.

"Do you know him?"Angelique asked as she and Noir came closer to see just what was so important.

"No. But he seems to think he knows me..." Krich trailed off as he noticed shouts of some kind but was unable to make out what they were saying. The only thing he knew was when a very angry woman in some odd clothes came passing by.

"I swear that don't know how to treat a woman, honestly." As the stranger continued to rant, her eyes fell on the group and something seemed to click. "You're the people I've been looking for. Do you live with a woman that covers herself all the time?"

"..Yes." Angelique answered, a bit intimidated by the older woman. It reminded her of someone.

"Wonderful. Be a dear and take me with you."

"Just wait a minute." Not so sure if he should trust this crazy woman, Krich decided to draw the line. "Why do you want to come?"

It was almost as if he had asked her why she breathed. "I'm _looking_for my son buddy. The owner of the place where you live matches the description of someone I know. It's taken me a week to finally get some information on how to find my son and I'm not going to stop now." She marched right up to him. "And I'm going to go whether you want me to or not."

Krichevskoy and the nameless woman seemed to glare at each other for a long time. Angelique was slightly alarmed a fight might break out but before she could do anything, he turned away from her laughing.

"She's fine. She can come with us. I just wanted to make sure." Krichevskoy chuckled again like he had found something out.

No one even tried to figure out what his line of logic was for trusting the woman. Angelique didn't have a problem with it at all, Longnius still wasn't sure while Noir remained largely neutral for the most part.

"We'll, let's get going." The strange woman said, already walking ahead like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Krich and the other's watched her before following moments later. It was strange of what just had taken place and everyone was thinking about what to make of it. Longnius had already come to his own conclusion already.

Krichevskoy was crazy, but now he had someone as equally crazy to come along with them now.

* * *

Getting over the general awkwardness of the whole situation, the group settled back into the mansion more or less unhindered. The stranger revealed her name, calling herself Nariko and that she was looking for her son 'Adell'. Nobody knew who he was but apparently she was convinced she knew the owner of the building, so Krich would let her stay until she got that settled. Not that it made the situation that much better, but it_could_be much worse after all. 

Everyone had settled back into their comfort zone so to speak, Krich was eating something, Longnius was around him while Noir seemed to have disappeared somewhere into the mansion. The woman's name, Leiko as she called herself already made herself at home with out much reservations.

Angelique, having nothing else to do for the day headed into her room, closing the door behind her. She didn't want to think about that stranger said, and even if it had been some time those words stung her because they reminded her how she got here in the first place. A part of her past she tried not to let bring her down or depress her. The red-head reached for a thick book she had read multiple times since her first time visiting here, dust and the signs of wear and tear clearly visible. How long had it been since she got here-four years?

Unconsciously, her hand traced to her stomach. And against her will, she remembered.

* * *

_The village of Sennet wasn't much to look at. An small settlement located between two mountains, so few even knew of its existence. It was small. Roughly having a population less then forty members strong, add the fact that the land itself was practically worthless and one would wonder why people would stay._

_It was because despite everything, the people were happy._

_They had a new member of their extended family that was going to be arriving soon-an baby by their very own Alaine the local healer. If it weren't for her gifts, many of the villagers would have died__and as such many were deeply in her debt. The father-Amaury was more or less an good man, even if many villagers wished they could switch places with him._

_Labor had come slightly earlier then expected but problems otherwise had come into play during the birth.(Except perhaps Alaine crushing her husbands hand during the birthing process)_._The child resembled a good blend of her mother and father and after much thinking a name was decided. _

_They would call this baby Angelique._

* * *

_ Five years had gone by in what seemed like an instant to most. The village enjoyed their normal peaceful lives until word that the Imperial troops would be taking over this part of the area. Knowing the blind prejudice they had towards people with, they would most likely make an example of the unimportant village for keeping them._

_There was a small bit of hope though-an small rag-tag group of rebels that had been a thorn in the empires side for years had decided to come. They were recruiting any able-bodied men and women who wanted to fight rather then roll over. This was the cause of much debate during the meetings with the village elders, the place was almost completely divided on the issue. The once simple life style of the village was now threatened, and few wanted to raise arms. Sticking to the naive notion that the Imperial soldiers would have a change of heart._

_Angelique's parents argued. And they argued often. When her father wanted to join the rebels, it had caused the normally mellow family much tension. No matter how many points were brought__up by both parties no side wavered, until reluctantly Alaine allowed her husband to leave._

_Early around the next day_,_the families of those who were going to fight went to say their good byes to their loved ones. Amaury didn't say much to his wife and instead focused on little Angelique. "I want you to keep an eye on mommy for me ok?" He reached into his pocket and gave a blue hair band. "Keep this safe for me."_

_He turned to face his wife, who simply looked towards the ground. "..Just go." She said softly._

_Amaury slowly nodded and turned to leave for training._

_Little did they know that was the last time they would see him alive._

* * *

_ Since Amaury's death, Alaine had simply given up on herself and life in general. She had stopped eating, only taken a little bits at a time and hadn't been taken care of herself. The once pretty young woman was nothing more then a shell of her old self. She was unresponsive to almost everything, seeming to shut out the reality of the outside world._

_Reluctantly, Valerie an old woman and friend of the family took Angelique away from her mother. Angelique's mothers health seemed to get worse by the day as she faded out of sync more and more out of reality. It had gotten to the point where the villagers had to check up on her constantly to make sure she even ate. The situation was heartbreaking for the poor girl._

_As the months rolled by, it was found out that the Imperial army would soon strike. Having Alaine and Angelique who both had the gift of healing; it was only natural they would make an example out of them. After much debate, they decided to leave their precious home. Taking what little material possessions they had, all of them began the long journey. The rebels at the least provided them with a ship, but even then there was no guarantees._

_Surprisingly, the trip to Couscous village went with out incident, but Alaine's health continued to worsen even then. By the time a week had passed, she was very pale and sickly-looking. Angelique got to see her mother one last time, surprising everyone by simply visiting her daughter and giving her a hug, saying she was sorry. No one knew what she had meant on that day until the morning after where she passed away peacefully in her sleep._

_The funeral was held a few days after, people who knew the healer went to pay their final respects. Angelique in her small blue dress couldn't completely comprehend it. Why had she died? Why had she simply given up like that? Her father was gone and she was hurting to, so why hadn't she tried to live? Wasn't she good reason to live?_

_Valerie had said sometimes people simply got tired, but it seemed to ease the child very little. The old woman figured she would have to come to terms on her own._

* * *

_ Time went by quickly for Angelique and the little girl began to grow up before their eyes. She had taken her mothers death in stride and seemed to have developed an upbeat and cheerful personality. She seemed to through herself into her work, which was in essence acting as a healer using her gift, much like her mother had before her. The villagers adored Angelique and were quite grateful for her help. She had caught the attention of a few males of the village but she had surprised everyone when she began settling down with Croix. He wasn't much in the villages opinion, but soon he became a hard worker. Obviously, the young woman saw something in him and now other people were starting to see it as well._

_While many were happy when it was announced that Croix had proposed to Angelique, a young man by the name of Telford was not pleased. He had seen them hug each other tightly after the news in their happiness when he went to see her that day. Even when Angelique was clearly deeply in love with Croix, he still hoped one day she would see she didn't belong with that freak. But after seeing the scene, his blood boiled and his heart twisted in irrational hate and anger._

_He crushed the flowers he had gotten for Angelique. She would step on his heart for the last time._

* * *

_ Angelique didn't have luxury of much free time these days, and it was rare not to be running errands and helping the villagers were their health. When Croix had went out, she had been left with nothing to do. So, to better pass the time she visited Couscous village hoping there would be anything that needed her help with. Instead, she found Croix dressed in odd clothes when she came into the center of the village. But what also gave her a brief pause was the others, a woman with red-hair, a child around twelve or so, and what looked like an man with eye-patch, a blonde woman in her early twenties. The last two were a young girl around the same age as the boy, and what looked like..a fairy? She couldn't be sure, she had never met one in person before._

_ Angelique got over the strangeness of the situation and went over."Croix. Did you forget something?" __Seeing his blank, if slightly confused look under those glasses(shades) made her smile. He did have a tendency to lose track of what he was doing. "Your so absent-minded."_

_It was meant as a harmless teasing comment that Angelique and Croix had shared many times, but the red-head woman seemed to take it differently. In fact, it looked she was going to say something before__the oldest woman of the group calmed her down somehow, or at least took the attention away._

_Finally though, the woman Had to say something. "Just a minute. Your acting awfully friendly for someone you just met."_

_Blinking once, she looked between the stranger and Croix, clearly baffled. "Its true I just met you but..." She looked at Croix again, almost questionably now. "Croix is my fiance."_

"_W-wait just a minute." Croix said, sweating lightly. "I'm not the Croix you know."_

_Pausing, Angelique backed off a little. "Your not?" Taking a discerning glance at 'Croix' before saying anything else. "Now that you mention it, your Croix has different clothes and face then my Croix's."_

"_Were travelers from out west." One of them explained, mostly likely the blonde._

"_Really? I'm sorry then. Its just that your Croix looks so much like my Croix's. Its really quite amazing" Angelique was sure the first time, but now she felt silly. "Let me introduce myself then. My name is Angelique, I live near here. Allow me to treat you to dinner, to fix that silly mistake."_

"_Well, I better get going. See you tonight." Angelique left the motley crew, unaware just how much their short time together would change things._

* * *

_ Dinner went by with out much incident when evening came. Angelique for one reason or another was slightly surprised they had decided to come, maybe due to the fact she thought they would be busy people. They had finally introduced themselves this time around. Prier was the red-head from earlier along with her little brother Culotte, Alouette the blonde, and the last two were Homard(the one with the eyepatch) and Eclair. The fairy hadn't given her name, but if she didn't want to that was fine._

_After the meal, everyone slowly eased themselves into Angelique's company, taking spots were they were most comfortable. Croix in the corner by the door while the others were scattered around in the small cabin, it was almost crowded with this many people._

"_Did you get enough to eat?" Angelique asked, wanting to be a good hostess. _

"_Yup! That potato stew was the best." Prier cheerfully replied._

_This made Angelique smile some. "Your quite an interesting person Prier."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes. You're always true to your own feelings. I have a feeling your honesty will help a lot of people someday."_

_Her hands waved defensively in front of her. "C'mon, your making me blush."_

"_..What time are you expecting him?" Croix had been silent up until that point._

_Angelique seemed slightly puzzled at first."Him? Oh Croix? Well, he said he would be back by nightfall so I should think he would be back soon but.."_

_The worry in her voice didn't go unnoticed. Alouette gently prompted her."You seem worried about him."_

"_The night isn't good for him." She said simply, but there was far more to it._

"_You mean he's scared of the dark?" Culotte asked._

"_No. Croix's dark nature has always been very strong."_

_Eclair timidly spoke up. "His dark nature?"_

_Turning to address the younger girl, she spoke in a more serious tone. "People have both dark and light powers. Neither one is good or evil, but if either one becomes to strong, bad things can happen. Our powers have caused Croix and me, many problems in the past.."_

_Homard shook his head knowing where she was going with it. "People have always branded things they don't understand as evil."_

"_It must have been terrible for you." Eclair instantly regretted bringing the subject up even if she didn't know in the first place._

_Angelique's blue eyes seemed to go into another time. "Yes.." She shook her head almost instantly later. "It wasn't so bad for me but Croix..His dark nature sometimes made him hurt people. But somehow we've made it through, supporting each other all the way. I'm so grateful for the Goddess protection and guidance." _

_Culotte seemed surprised. "The Goddess? You don't mean?" _

"_The Goddess Poitreene." Angelique made a universal symbol that anyone under the same religion would instantly recognize. "I'm one of the sisters serving the Goddess in this village."_

"_You're the same as us then!"_

_Angelique was a bit surprised at the confirmation. "You to? This certainly is a lucky day, the Goddess must of had a hand in this."_

"_Um..Angelique?" Prier spoke hesitantly, which wasn't like her at all. "Why are you like this?"_

"_Like what?"_

"_I mean.." The young woman thought of a way to word it. "If your powers made you suffer so, then why are you like this? Didn't you ever resent your powers or hate the people who persecuted you?"_

_Angelique didn't immediately answer. Then she shook her head. "No. Never. I can use my powers to help many suffering people, there's nothing better then that." This statement seemed to make Prier depressed, had she said something foolish earlier? _

_Maybe she could cheer her up a little."Say Prier, can I ask you something?" _

"_Huh?" Prier seemed out of it at the moment._

"_This has been bothering me ever since I met you. My Croix, and your Croix look an awful a lot alike, but don't you think we look alike to?"_

"_Well.."_

"_Talking to you like this, its hard to believe we just met. Its like were sisters."_

"_Well.."_

_Angelique thought of something else to gently prompt her out of her sad mood. "You wouldn't happen to be that Croix's boyfriend, would you? Wouldn't that be interesting."_

_For the first time, Prier's voice lightened up. "Well.."_

"_..I need some air." Croix muttered to himself, and with out another word walked out the door._

_This didn't go unseen by Angelique, though it puzzled her slightly as she turned back to the others for guidance. "Did I say something wrong?"_

_Snickering lightly, Culotte covered it with a cough. "No."_

"_Angelique." Alouette spoke up after being relatively passive with the conversation. "There's something I want to ask. Are you pregnant?" _

"_W-what? Why?" She was clearly startled._

"_I can sense another tiny life in your body." Alouette said matter-of-factly._

"_You can sense that?" Once the surprise went away, Angelique answered, smiling lightly. "Your powers must be amazing. Your right. Its been three months, I still haven't told Croix." _

_Again, Prier froze for some odd reason._

_Before anyone else could comment, the door suddenly opened, Telford out of breath and slightly shaken. "Angelique, its terrible! There's been on accident on top of the hill, you've got to come quickly!" He sounded desperate, so the situation must of been pretty bad._

_She turned towards her guest. "I'm sorry but I must go. Please, stay here and rest."_

"_Is there anything we can do?" Culotte offered._

"_Thank you. But I'll be fine."_

"_Angelique." Alouette stopped her, wanting to say something but thought against it. "Be careful."_

_Nodding simply, she followed behind Telford who hadn't been to talkative as they walked. Normally, he would engage her in some form of conversation but now he was so silent during the trip to the hill. It was actually making her nervous, and as they came closer and closer to their destination these feelings increased._

_Nothing was out of place at the hill. No accidents, no blood or signs of anything out of the ordinary and Telford simply stood. Back turned against her. _

"_Where is the accident?"_

"_Your looking right at it." He said simply, and then whistled. Moments later, Imperial soldiers came out of their hiding place, grabbing a hold of Angelique and binding her hands together. It had happened so fast Angelique hadn't even responded, and even when that phase passed her mind didn't react right away. This had to be dream, Telford wouldn't do this. He couldn't._

"_What's going on?" Angelique kept her voice as calm as possible, considering the situation she was in._

_Telford chuckled. "I turned you in. You see, these guys said they'd give plenty of money for turning any of the Goddess followers. After this is done, I'll have enough to retire. I didn't want to do this Angelique, really I didn't. But after you got engaged to Croix, you didn't leave me any choice. You'll be executed for being a witch, to put it simply." With that, he turned away from her. "Take her away."_

"_You don't have to do this! Please stop, I'm pregnant." The desperation of the young woman went unanswered. Telford simply ignored her as he walked away and none of the men even stopped for a minute to reconsider. They simply hauled Angelique away from the hill where she would await judgement, whether it was fair or not._

_The ride was a rough one, and they didn't bother being gentle. Carelessly, she was bound up, her hands tied tightly behind her. They kept her moving forward as they came into view a large board stuck firmly into the ground-there was no mistaking this was an execution. Her stomach began to twist into a knot as they bound her to the crude thing. Everyone watched, not lending a hand to help like it was some sort of cruel scene to a play._

_She didn't know how long she waited there. It seemed like hours or even days. Time passed by slow when you knew you were about to die and there was nothing you can do about it. This wasn't how she expected herself to be, in the stories the Goddess followers were always fearless. But it was different when that time came, she only felt a large amount of fear, not only for herself but her unborn child as well._

_Was this how things were supposed to be? Was this part of the Goddess plan?_

"_Angelique!"_

_A certain someone roughly pushed through the crowd, Prier and her friends making quite the scene. Part of Angelique wanted them to help but she couldn't, there would be to many of for them to fight. She didn't want any of their blood on her hands if any of them were killed. If..this was the way things were suppose to be, she wouldn't drag innocent people with her, so she pushed her sense of self-preservation aside._

"_Don't come near! You'll just get mixed up in this to. I'll be fine, the Goddess will protect me." She offered a smile but it seemed unsure. Hollow._

"_But..!" Prier protested._

_The executioners had decided that enough time had been wasted, the crowd wanted blood of the witch. They put on black mask and sharpened their spears for the grim task of skewering the young woman on the board. Angelique knew that her time was up but she needed to say one more thing._

_Angelique smiled one more time but it seemed sad."..If you see Croix..tell him I'm sorry."_

_The spears left no more room for talk as they were plunged into her stomach, only a brief pain hit before her body went numb. She didn't even hear Prier cry out her name one final time as everything faded away like a bad dream._

* * *

Angelique shook her head at the memory. It shouldn't have bothered her what that man had said but it did. That had been four years ago but things didn't seem that long ago when she thought about it. When she first arrived here, she was completely lost with no place to go until the owner of the mansion had taken her in, gave her clothes and put a roof over her head. They always wore things to conceal their features and never once had Angelique seen their face. She had asked about it once, but the response had been they were repenting for their sins. She didn't know what covering your body had to do with it, but she respected them enough to leave it alone. 

Her perception of the Goddess had changed the day she 'died' and ended up where they called the Twilight Realm. Angelique wasn't so sure she could blindly follow anymore and things she had thought were set in stone in the teachings she began to question. But the biggest question still remained; why had she lived while her unborn hadn't? It didn't make sense to her.

"Angelique, can I come in?"

She composed herself as best as she could before replying. "Come in."

Krichevskoy came into the room. "I was worried about you. Its not like you to be secluded in your room like this, Noir I can understand but this is something else. Is everything ok?"

_Am I ok? _Angelique was silent for a long time before speaking in a low tone. "No. I'm not ok."

Krich had never seen this part of her before, but he knew everyone had their weak moments. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Angelique slowly nodded before retelling her story. About little things mostly before getting comfortable enough to go into detail, skipping parts she didn't want to get into. She told him about where she grew up, some past experiences,the way she been betrayed and ultimately how she ended up here. In turn, Krich shared some of his misadventures when he was younger that made her laugh. Many of them involved a certain phantom named Gnoss and another vassal of his.

"..Its kinda silly isn't it?" Angelique asked suddenly. "I mean, to let what one person said effect me that much."

"No it isn't." Krich said, the joking and easy-going attitude gone for now. "He said something he shouldn't have, how he knows about us is another story not important right now. You trusted someone and they stabbed you in the back, there is no shame in that. It just means you have to be careful of who you trust, you have to take people as what they are, not what you think them to be."

Angelique smiled. "I hope I'll become wise like you one day."

Krich laughed. "I'm not. I just have my moments." His expression turned back serious. "I made a grave mistake as well, I'm not perfect. When my wife was alive, I didn't spend as much time with Laharl and her as I should have. I did what I did for them, but it doesn't make it much better. When she passed away, my son Laharl lost just about all respect for me."

He paused, thinking back to those days. "I helped him. I took on a silly guise using my own sense of humor called 'The Dark Adonis' and watch him grow in strength. Even after everything was said and done, I didn't reveal myself to him. I'm a coward AngeliqueI_can_face my son and there's nothing stopping me, except for the fact its to late to fix things. The gap is too large now."

"..Maybe its not." Angelique softly suggested. "If you don't try...how will you know? Someone I once knew that was much wiser then I am used to say that we shouldn't be afraid of tomorrow brings unless we walk in that day."

The Overlord couldn't help but chuckle. "Its funny. I'm far older then you, yet I managed to learn things from people far younger then me. Wisdom truly has no age. ..I'll try. I'll try if you try."

Angelique just smiled at her father-like figure, a real smile. "Ok."

* * *

**Authors Notes: **Fingers fall off after cracking Eh, I normally don't write this much but I had to make it up to you guys. The wait was far to long and once again I apologize for it. Next chapter Adell will spar against Father Salade, something I Really been wanting to do since I started this story. On a side note, Krich and co won't be appearing for a little bit, that's why I had to get this out the way. We'll, until next time.I had to give Adell's mother a name because I can't call her mom all the time. Poor Croix is probably going to get it. I tried to make the flashbacks in nice bite-sized sections and short and sweet as possible. Personally, to much detail can be a bad thing. 


	14. Maiden In Child's Clothing

**Authors Notes:** It's been Way too long, I know. I'm going to be honest, because of real life and other things I'm going to have shorten the original length of the story, otherwise it will take forever to finish. Don't worry it won't end next chapter or anything, but I have to know my limits. I can't say for certain when I'll update again.

Also, I found a link you can go to for those who want to see the main La Pucelle Tactics story beginning to end by cut scene(without the gameplay as well) Link will be located in my profile.

Now enough of that, enjoy!

* * *

"Uh hi Prier."

Adell turned his attention to the newcomers in question after Croix spoke. One was a young woman with red hair that looked around his age, the other one was a few years younger then the girl but was taller. They didn't look too much alike when compared side by side by there was something about them that said they were siblings. _What's going on?_

"Croix. We need to talk." The one female said, who Adell guessed was Prier.

Nodding slightly, Croix turned to his other companions. "I'll be back." Both of them exited out of the infirmary, for some reason Adell felt like the Demon Hunter was in trouble.

Culotte watched the two leave, his face unreadable; then he turned to the others, rubbing the back of his head softly before looking at the guest apologetically. "Sorry about that, but that's just my sister for you. Are you guys new here?" The other two, Lamington and Kinta watched neutrally from their respective spots for now.

Adell spoke first. "We're new to this country, at least I am."

"Really? That's neat. We don't get many people from other countries around here often. I'm Culotte." He offered his hand for a handshake, which Adell took after a moment._Geez. What gives? This guy isn't even trying and it feels like he's breaking my hand!_

"Adell. And likewise. These are my friends Lamington and Kinta. They don't talk to much to much, but they're good people." Adell turned back to look at the sleeping child. "And that's Alouette."

_Alouette huh..? Don't think to much on it Culotte, it's a common name around here after all._

Adell felt like he had said something wrong because Culotte went quite for a minute. "You ok?"

Culotte shook his head. "Yeah. I kno-knew someone named Alouette." He corrected quickly. "It was just a slight surprise to me, that's all."

He wasn't sure if he believed that excuse, but Adell didn't know him enough to really say for sure. "So, was that your sister?"

"Yeah. Don't mind her, she's not that bad once you get to know her."_And as long as you don't make her mad. _He kept the last part in his head. Culotte paused, for a minute. He didn't want to pry but his curiosity was eating at him to much. "You guys friends with Croix?"

_This is still a bit to weird. Croix disappears for about f_orever_, and then comes back without as much as a word with some new faces. This is to much of a coincidence to be just completely random._

_ Or is it?_

"Sort of. I haven't really known him all that long, to tell you the truth."Adell admitted, not sure how much he should reveal just yet. Croix had mentioned Culotte and Prier once, maybe twice during the whole trip here and had said they were friends. Even still, it might be better to wait a bit until Croix got back before saying anything further. The whole "reincarnation" and everything else seemed surreal to even Adell at times; which was saying something in itself.

"I guess I shouldn't be to surprised, its just that Croix never really travel with anyone other then himself usually, that's all." Culotte didn't know what to say at first, but it was far to odd to leave the conversation hanging.

"Adell." Lamington finally spoke, not having said a word when the whole conversation had started. "Why don't you explore and see what the city has to offer? I will make sure nothing befalls Alouette."

His first thought was to protest but Adell held back, thinking about what Lamington really wanted to do. Before things were explained in detail, it might help to ease them into it before laying it on thick.

He still didn't want to leave Alouette. But he understood, to an extent. Adell knew Lamington was really just trying to help and he fought with himself mentally if he should stay or not.

In the end, Adell relented, reluctantly. If he stayed, he'd probably end up driving himself nuts with worry anyway.

"All right. Lead the way."

Culotte looked one more time at the little girl who's face looked hauntingly familiar. Of course, it couldn't be who he was thinking of. After all, _his _Alouette was dead and buried. "I know a good place to start off as.." His voice and Adell's voice faded away as both of them walked out of the area.

Once they were gone, Lamington and Kinta said absolutely nothing to each other for a few minutes. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence(for them) it was simply they had nothing to say.

Finally, Kinta pushed herself off the wall and began heading towards the exit. "I'm going out."

Watching her leave, Lamington pushed a small stool near Alouette and sat on it. His hand reached for a new wet cloth on a nearby table and dampened the Maiden's forehead lightly. She didn't respond, merely sneezing lightly, rubbing her small nose and rolling over but otherwise not moving from her deep sleep. Seeing there was nothing further he could do, the Seraph took a backseat and did the only thing he could do; watch over her and keep her safe.

* * *

Croix and Prier walked together down the streets of Pot au Feu, neither of them saying one thing to each other. Each had many things they wanted to say to the other but both didn't know how the respective other person would take the news. So, for a while neither said anything to one another as they walked, until that too became unbearable.

"Whatcha have you been up to these days?" Prier was the first one to break the ice.

That was a good question. A simple question to be sure, but one Croix didn't have a clear answer to. What had he been doing? Sure, it looked like he had been keeping busy, fighting off rogue demons here and there but besides that...

"We'll, you know, I've been Demon Hunting. Nothing special." Came the natural and easy reply, he was thankful for his shades as they kept him harder to read. "You look different."

The last time he had seen her, Prier had been a spunky red-headed girl. That hadn't changed. Prier still seemed that way but her hair was longer and the 'girl' look was gone having clearly having entered full woman-hood. Still, Prier was still very much Prier.

Prier cracked a small grin. "I was wondering when you would notice, hardly anyone does. Four years will do that to you, but you look just about the same."

For reasons unknown, Croix almost winced at the same comment. _Four years and nothings changed..and yet at the same time everything has.._

"I'm not mad at you for being gone so long." Prier said suddenly, as if reading his mind.

"..Wait, you're not?" Croix said a bit surprised.

"I was."

"Then, what made you change your mind?"

The response wasn't quick, Prier had a pensive look on her face most people wouldn't have thought possible. "I had time to think when you were gone. I was so angry at you, I knew why you were doing what you were doing but I..."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, this 'mushy' stuff as she called it was still a hard subject for her but it needed to be put to rest. Prier could give advice to _other _people's relationships, but when it came to her own love life, she was rather skittish. "I hated it. I hated the fact I didn't know you were ok, I hated not knowing when you would get back and it got harder each day. It was eating me up."

Croix didn't interrupt, he just listened patiently and silently waited.

"Did you know Culotte finally got over Alouette's death? He had moved on but I was still stuck and that's when I knew I had to do something. I had to let you go." At the last part, she looked at him straight in the eye finally. "That was the hardest thing for me to do, but I did it."

"Do you still..?" Croix asked slowly.

"I don't know." Prier said, looking away. "It's weird. I always imagined what our reunion would be like but not really like this.."

The Demon Hunter chuckled somewhat dryly. "The feeling is mutual. Since you said that to me, its only fair I tell why I've been gone so long. I've been thinking for a while now and fighting with it but its about time I came out with it. The truth is, I was scared of hurting you."

Prier looked at him more closely. "What do you mean?"

Feeling it was now or never, Croix continued. "On my journey I came to realize a few things. One of those things is that I've been using it as an excuse not to face my problems. One of those was you." He turned to face her directly. "I don't have..feeling's for you anymore Prier. And when I realized that, I tried to keep myself away. I didn't want to see the look on your face when I told you..but I didn't think it would be like this either."

Both went into an strange silence after that. Not an uncomfortable one, but one of slow acceptance. Both parties had gotten what they needed to say out on the table and now that it had been said, an great relief washed over both of them.

"So, what now?" Croix said after a minute.

Prier always listened to her heart, and right now she couldn't be more grateful. It made things like this somewhat easier. As long as she listened to her internal compass, she'd be all right, in the end. "Well...We said what we need to say, right? So, let's not make things too complicated and just go with it, okay? If we fall in love again that's fine but if not..."

The hunter caught on. "I understand." Then he added to lighten the mood. "This isn't how things ran through my head when I thought of how things would go. I was thinking you'd beat my over the head with your baton after saying I didn't have feelings for you anymore."

At that, she had to grin once again. "You sound disappointed. Don't worry, I'll only hit you over the head if you do something stupid like in the old days. Deal?"

Croix chuckled. "Deal."

Tension now melting away for the moment as the two continued to ease up a bit more. The subtle and slight awkwardness was still there of course, and it was something that wouldn't go away so soon. They talked about old times. Most of them recounting the events they had on their journey some time back. It felt good be able to open up and talk like this, like nothing had really changed but in reality they had and more then either would have liked.

"..And then that's when Father Salade got nervous when he realized he was in trouble." Croix said, continuing the story of an earlier event. It was during the time Alouette had lectured Prier on wearing more 'proper' clothes when Prier had pointed out she had worn something not so proper under clothes.

"I can't believe Alouette fell for that one." Prier shook her head. "The director chewed Father Salade about the whole thing later."

"Heh, the look on his face was priceless."

After going silent for a moment, Prier shifted gears. "Say, who were those people with you?"

"They're friends of mine." _I think. _Croix thought about the best way to word it. "They helped me a few times on my trip."

"Oh. Who's the little girl then?"

He knew the question would come eventually, but he sighed anyway. "Listen Prier, there's something big going on then we need to talk about.."

* * *

Adell didn't mind the walk. He would have enjoyed the little tour of an otherwise noteworthy city if it weren't for Alouette's condition, or the other thoughts that plagued his mind. He tried though and instead of worrying about things he couldn't help or do anything about, Adell kept his mind on what they were doing now. This wasn't easy for the young man. Adell by his very nature was a protector and when he couldn't protect those close to him from something, he tended beat himself up over it. Repeatedly.

Even so, Culotte was rather good company.

"..And you say you come from where again?"

Culotte's voice snapped Adell out of his private musings. "A place called Veldime. It's pretty far off. I doubt you'll hear of it anytime soon." _If ever._

The magic-users face looked thoughtful. "You're right. I never heard of that country before. Must be really far off."

Adell simply nodded. "Yeah it is. Like I said, it's pretty far off."

Culotte had no idea.

_When did lying become easier for me? _Adell mused. If it had been a few years back, this wouldn't have happened the way it did. He would have told the honest truth regardless but he had been recently realized there was an time and place for everything. Had he gone that route, then most likely he could have gotten himself and Alouette into serious trouble a few times. No, it was better to lie if there were extreme consequences. Not only that but it would have been foolish to be truthful all the time, somethings were better left unsaid.

It was a lesson he had to painfully learn the hard way.

"This is it." Culotte suddenly stopped walking for a moment. They stood in front what looked like an orphanage."I want you to meet someone here."

Adell didn't mind, he went along with it and followed the younger boy inside, taking note of the strange trinkets and decorations on the wall. Of course, what had truly caught his eye were some of the pictures. Many displayed an man around his fifties or so if he had to guess over the body of an demon, or monster of some kind.(He couldn't tell which) It surprised Adell to see someone that old beat such larger things, and he doubted the man was an demon.

Then again thinking back about his deceased teacher Kane, older people weren't to be underestimated.

"Welcome back Culotte!"

Small bodies zoomed in and surrounded both Culotte and Adell. Despite himself, Adell couldn't help but crack a very small smile. Kids always did make things a bit easier.

"Heh, hey settle down." Culotte began to calm the mass of children, which was hard since they all shot questions a mile a minute about one subject to the next. "Have you seen Father Salade? He was suppose to be here today."

"He's in his office, I think." A pink-haired girl said.

"Thanks. We'll all go play when I get back, ok?" Culotte promised as he patted one of the small children on the head. "This way."

Not making comment, Adell once again trailed behind the member of La Pucelle, taking mental notes of some of the things he had seen for later. It was barely an walk at all. They reached the office in the span of less then two minutes. In front of the two young men stood a sturdy double door made out of some kind of oak.

Culotte's hand hovered over the surface, then knocked, once then twice when there was no response.

"Father Salade, are you in there? It's me, Culotte. I have someone I want you to meet."

"Erh, just a minute." An old voice replied, and the sound of shuffling and things being moved were heard before the door opened. Standing in the door way was the very same man in his fifties from the pictures Adell had seen earlier, there was no mistaking it.

"Uh, Father what were you doing in there?" Culotte asked, but wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"Personal business Culotte." Closing the door behind him completely, he finally regarded Adell with a look. "Who is this young man?"

"I'm Adell." He greeted easily. "Nice to meet you." Adell's hand extended to a handshake, not bothered at all by the abnormal strength Salade possessed.

"You got one strong grip there." Salade commented, retracting his hand. "Culotte bring you to see the rest of the city eh?"

Adell almost shrugged. "Pretty much. I'm new here but so far this place seems pretty nice."

For a long moment, Father Salade studied Adell, almost as if he knew something the young man didn't. What ever it had been had soon passed, and he offered a small smile. "You're a fighter aren't you? I can tell by the way you move. You want to have a friendly sparring match?"

Immediately, Culotte was naturally alarmed. He didn't want the newcomer to get completely pummeled into oblivion. The last time there had been a 'friendly' spar, the other person had ended worse for wear. Father Salade, while a good man, didn't have the best self-restraint at times.

"Father Salade, I don't think it would be a good idea to-" Instantly, his words were interrupted.

"Sure."

Culotte face-faulted at the easy going response.

"Its settled then." Already, Culotte could tell Salade was excited by the subtle gleam behind his glasses. But what Culotte didn't understand was _why_ Father Salade was so eager to have a little match with him after the first meeting. Usually the retired demon hunter avoided sparring, unless it was with Prier or a possible future student. What was he trying to do?

Culotte felt like he was almost playing second wheel. The moment Salade had offered a friendly spar to Adell, both men had seemed to be completely focused on one another. Almost like some silent signal passed between that he couldn't decode on his own. Both them headed towards the front, Salade leading and the other two trailing behind. Curious, others stopped what they were doing to look at the display. It was rare for the renowned Demon Hunter to spar against normal human opponents, besides Prier that is.

If either fighters noticed the forming crowd in the middle of the courtyard, they made no indication of such. Both of them gathered some distance between themselves, slowly sliding into their respective fighting stances.

"Any rules?" Adell said, already trying to size up his opponent.

"No rules." Salade replied, stretching before assuming a ready position of his own. "It's just you and me. Come and get me."

_He might be old, but I can't underestimate him. Besides, never been my style to take it easy._

Instead of like days in the past of rushing forward recklessly, Adell instead circled around the older fighter a bit as Salade stood there practically unmoving except so slightly shifting a bit to keep the young man in his sights at all time.

Then without warning, Adell sprung forward, delivering a quick right jab, followed by a left. Salade, not bothered simply let the first attack hit, while the second was deflected with a speed the old man of his age shouldn't have. Caught off guard by this, Adell wasn't prepared by the follow up of his opponent hitting his exposed stomach and sending him backwards.

Skidding back a bit, Adell again went back into his stance, but a small smile formed despite himself.

_Just like I thought._

The guy's Mana signature was way higher then it should be, but before it had seemed lower and more controlled. Now that he was sparring against him he could see it more clearly now what he was up against.

It was more like a controlled hurricane then anything now.

Adell waited for a few more moments before again charging faster this time to the point where a normal human wouldn't have been able to follow his movement, but with something a bit different in mind from before.

_Sloppy Adell, very sloppy_. Again, seemingly not bothered, Salade deflected the first blow, an kick aimed for his head-

-Only to find out too late at the late moment it was a feint, and his guard going up to his face left his stomach exposed for his sparring partners fist.

Taken off guard by this and pushed back, Salade was forced on the defensive for a moment, backing up or parrying the lighting quick blows when he could. Finally he saw an opening, a slight slacking in one of his strikes as his punch was just a few milliseconds too slow to pull back in time. Adell found out quickly he couldn't escape the man's grasp, as he was physically stronger then him.

Salade pulled his victim towards him, intent on hitting him with a follow up only to find his moment of triumph in reverse. Instead of yanking back or trying to over power him, Adell had simply used his own force against him, stepping in, and using Salade's momentum aimed a punch towards his stomach. It was enough for him to release his grip and stumble back a bit, before regaining his balance.

The older man finally smiled, holding up a hand. "Good..good. That's the only thing I wanted to see."

Adell relaxed a bit, though he wasn't sure what the point of the whole sparring was but he wasn't complaining as it took his mind off on the Alouette situation.

"You adapt pretty quick once you get a feel of your opponents fighting style, that's good." Salade continued.

"We'll, I figured out quickly that trying to out muscle you wasn't going to work. Some times the best way to beat someone stronger physically then you, is to use their own force against them. If I kept strictly a muscle game, I wouldn't have done too well." Adell explained. "Plus, you do have a weakness in your fighting style."

"Oh?" Salade said, more curious then anything.

"It relies too much on force, on who's stronger wins. I used to think that brute force was everything, and my teacher tried to drill in my head otherwise." Adell shook his head. "I didn't really get it until later on. Power isn't everything. But you were holding back, weren't you?"

"Heh. Good eye." The older man looked at him appraisingly. "You're stronger then I was at your age, and you're right, I was holding back it was just a spar after all."

"I see." _Man, I would've liked to see the guy go all out, but I guess it can't be helped. Then again I wasn't either._

"Excuse me for a second Adell." Father Salade went to Culotte and pulled the stunned teen to the side.

"Father Salade, what was the point of that?" Culotte said finally.

"I'm surprised you haven't felt it." They glanced where Adell was briefly. "That, my young friend is a demon."

_An demon?_

Though Culotte was too surprised to respond instantly, Salade took the silent cue_. _"Quite a shock eh? He doesn't look different from anyone else or act any different. I had to test it to be sure, but it was only when I was sparring did I see it for myself."

"So, you just wanted to see for sure." Culotte confirmed. "But..I always thought demons were evil."

_Then again, I thought a lot of things some years ago. Many of them wrong, who's to say I know what I'm talking about?_

_And I doubt any evil demon would be carrying a little kid around like that._

_But either way, this wasn't something you saw in our neck of the woods often. The only time the church of the Holy Maiden dealt with demons was when we were fighting, and none of them looked human at all._

_If I know Prier though, she probably wouldn't have even given it a second thought knowing how she is._

_People were just people to her. No matter what they were._

"Perhaps. But we thought the same with the Dark Prince until we learned there was a reason behind it after all. I don't think beings are inherently good or evil Culotte, few things probably are."

Culotte just nodded, not sure what else to say at the moment. "What now?"

"Now? Nothing, for now." Salade paused. "If anything, we should learn everything we came from Croix and the people traveling with him. I have a feeling there's a lot more to it then we know."

The two really had no idea. But they were soon about to find out.

* * *

Prier had thought Croix was joking, but there was no way he would about what he just said.

An Seraph? _Aloutte _a little kid now? It didn't make any sense.

But Croix wouldn't lie or joke about something like this.

She really wasn't sure of what to make out of it right now.

Now, the whole group was gathered in Father Salade's office after the story was told. Lamington had proved that he was in fact an Angel when he showed his wings. The group seemed to have different reactions to this:

Prier was oddly quite, Salade seemed pensive while Culotte looked as if his brain was trying to process everything, particularly about the part of Alouette being alive but reincarnated as a little kid.

"This is a lot to take in.." Salade was finally the one to break the ice.

Culotte didn't want to believe it. He was looking for some sign this was an trick, the story was a bit far fetched even after all the strange things they had seen. He couldn't deny the proof that was presented when the story was put to a close but now...

..Now he didn't know what to think. Or act for that matter.

"This can't be right." Culotte finally said. "I mean..how, _why_ now?"

"I'm afraid that's an question even I don't have the answer too." Lamington's voice was more quite then normal, as if the slightest raise in voice would wake the sleeping Aloutte. "I have told you what I can about the matter on Croix's request, but the what you do now is all up to you."

"..."

"Prier?" Father Salade asked his student, who was still quite.

She didn't answer. Instead she went to where Aloutte was sleeping peacefully, chest rising and falling. Prier went to her knee's just by the bed, watching and everyone else as if picking this was a rare moment of character from Prier kept quite.

Prier gently brushed a blond lock out of the little girls hair, then slowly stood up. "It doesn't matter if they changed Aloutte's form. I already know what I'm going to do; I'm going to protect Alouette and that's final." At the last part she looked at her brother, almost expectantly.

"I..I am too." Culotte finally said once he trusted his voice, Prier smiled and slapped her brother on the back(maybe a bit too hard)

"See! Everything works out, we'll be okay." Prier assured, trying to break the ice. With that done she seemed more like herself, more lively, animated. Not only that but there was that familiar determination now there and anyone who knew her would know that changing her mind now would be akin to pulling a tooth out of a dragon.

"So.." She turned her attention to others who had protected Aloutte, more serious. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know either, but I'm going to make damn sure they don't hurt her." Adell said firmly.

Lamington waited for a moment for the initial conversation to die down. "If we're to see this through to the end, then we have to think the long term of how to deal with this problem."

"Easier said then done.." Kinta said in a low tone. _Not to rain on anyone's parade but a motley crew against the forces of another plane don't strike me as good odds.._

"Okay, then we just have to take the fight to the source." Adell continued. "We take care of that then the rest shouldn't be too much of an problem, right?"

Croix adjusted his shades, cleaning them on his shirt for an moment. "That's something I can get behind but it doesn't solve the issue with that nasty piece of work Baal."

_I can't believe this._ Culotte thought for an moment.

_If someone told me years ago one day we would be fighting forces similar to Heaven and ancient Demon Lord that more then likely was going to end up as a war with us caught in the middle, I probably wouldn't believe them._

_I still can't believe it._

_And that's just part of the problem._

"We don't need to fight everyone, though, right?" Culotte said. "Nothing stopping us from taking care what's throwing the natural balance off and the people after Aloutte. The problem is..getting there, somehow."

To be honest, Prier, while having developed a good deal more patience with these types of things this definitely wasn't her favorite thing. Plan. To her, actions spoke louder then words and more then anything she just wanted to march in, bust some heads, and call it a day. This was one of those times she couldn't do that, which irritated her.

Before the 'plan' could be continued and discussed, Lamington looked..startled about something. For anyone who knew him, seeing the powerful and normally almost impossible to rattle Seraph become visibly thrown off was worrying by itself.

"It's here.." He said, his voice quite and knowing.

"What is?" Salade didn't like this, and for good reason.

"The Mana. It's the same from that giant dragon, only I'm afraid its here."

"It's outside?" Prier didn't wait for an answer as she heard screams outside; she was quickly gone.

"Prier, wait!" Culotte's protest went unheeded, and he was quickly after his sister.

This caused the others to have multiple reactions, Salade being the first, looking a mixed between exasperated and a hint of something else. "We'll, there's no sense in trying to stop any of you from doing what you feel is right. Do you what you feel have too, I'll keep Aloutte safe and take care of my end."

Adell simply adjusted his gloves for a moment and began heading out the door, but not before not stopping. "Take care of her." He kept going after that, Kinta wordlessly following after him. Croix simply got out his large gun, checking the ammo inside of it before putting it inside his trench coat and heading out with the others.

* * *

The first thing the young woman felt was a sharp pain shot through her system as she slowly opened her eyes. The first surprise was she had even opened them, she hadn't thought she would be waking up after what she had been through. The second, her surrounding.

She was in a room somewhere, it was plain but she could see the place was still much more upscale then what she was used too. There was some basic necessities and by her night stand was a small glass of water. However, she was more relieved when she saw a small gray-skinned creature with a piece of cloth over its head similar to a witches hat. Anyone seeing the thing would think it was a stuffed cute doll or plush toy from its looks but it was obviously living.

_Oh Mocha, I was so worried. I'm so glad you're okay._

The girl tried to move, but found a sharp pain shoot through her body which made her think otherwise and laid back down. She was going have to rest a bit more before she could attempt to move again and thank who ever had brought her here.

_But just where are we?_

"Castile, you're awake. I was getting worried."

Looking up a bit, the young woman saw a familiar face. A man with blue hair stepped inside the room, he looked exactly the same the last time she had seen him; except now he had one for two pitch black angel-like wings, with the one on his left being notably shorter then the other.

"Ash!" Castile tried to move again, but the pain once again reminded her she needed to rest still, so she made a compromise of just sitting half up in bed. "What happened? Where are we and where is Morona?"

Ash came closer to the bed after closing the door behind him. "We found you out in the forest from here pretty roughed up, I was hoping you could tell me. As for Marona..." There was a pause. "..I was hoping she was with you, I haven't seen her since we got separated." He sighed. "We're in a world called Veldime, the Overlord here took you in when I found you."

"..Overlord..?" Castile seemed confused.

"It's like a ruler." Ash took a stool and sat down by the injured young girl on the side of her bed. He had noticed she still looked exactly the same age wise he had seen her last time. Time really did past time differently in other worlds. "I'm not the only one here..Walnut is too. But he calls himself Endoprh now."

"I see." Castile had a lot of questions, but she was just happy to see a familiar face after so long. "How did you get those wings? You're not a Phantom anymore, are you?"

"Heh. So you noticed. I was trying to hide it." He was more teasing to lighten the mood a bit. "No, I'm not a Phantom anymore; I have a real body again. I'm still me, just a bit different. As for how I got them, its a long story. I promise I'll explain when Endorph and Rozalin come here."

"Rozalin? Who is that? A new friend?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I didn't even explain that. Rozalin is the Overlord of this world that took us in we got to this place. We've only been in Veldime for about two months and you came four days ago, you've been out since we found you. Did they finally cure your illness so you could walk again?"

At this, Castile brightened a bit. "Yep. They finally found a cure and I could walk again. When you vanished, me and Marona went to go find you. The Putties, they can can travel to other worlds too, its really cool."

"I bet." Ash then decided to get something out the way, he needed to know. "Castile..what exactly happened to Marona? You said you got separated right?"

Castile looked down and away, a bit ashamed. "I'm really sorry Ash. When me and Marona were looking for you, we got attacked by these monsters. I don't know what they were."

_Monsters? That could be literally anything._

Ash sighed, shaking his head. "It's not your fault Castile so don't put yourself down. Besides, Marona became really strong and can look after herself now. I'm sure she's fine. Where ever she is." He got up from his stool. "I have to go, but I'll be back soon. Just relax and everything will be fine, you're safe here."

When the ex Phantom left the room, feeling both happy and a bit troubled. Happy to see Castile again but worried about Marona and the fact she looked about the same age when he ended up forcefully leaving Ivoire to stop Sulphur.

Things were getting complicated and he had a feeling it would continue too in the times to come.

* * *

**Ending Authors Notes:** Finally, it took me forever but I managed to get something out. I'm not sure how many are still interested in reading this, but I finally got this done.

On another note, I wonder if I'm the only one that was slightly irked that in the newer Disgaea games, Laharl pretty much lost all his character development, and Etna seems different personality wise. To me, they were fine as they were in the first one. If it ain't broke, don't fix it but I'm probably in the minority on that.

Addressing another reviewers point, as a whole, Disgaea series power levels are..pretty much all over the place. It's been hinted and even shown at times certain characters have world shaking power literally, but yet at times you don't feel that way. It feels inconsistent in short. I decided on a middle ground with my story. Many of the main charters will be notably above normal humans, but few would be able to tear apart the real world by their lonesome.

One last thing I'd like to clarify. Nippon Ichi seems to like to toy with the whole "Multiverse" thing and that's where some of my ideas come from and it explains that all the different endings did happen, but its the cannon that's the main one, with the alternate endings and such creating alternate realms.

So this means Demon Overlord Prier is running around along with Zenon-poossed Adell from the Worse Ending of Disgaea two(ow) in some other universe.

Also, just for fun this is the current tier of power for Adell's group.

Lamington.

Dark Croix

Adell, Croix, Prier

Kinta

Culotte

Aloutte

Alouette has a lot of raw power for her age because of things explained in the story, but its situational and she's still a child despite being mature for her age so its understandable. Culotte suffers from glass cannon syndrome. Kinta is fast, but otherwise not all that strong. Adell, Croix and Prier are all somewhere in the same ball park power wise.

Dark Croix has a lot of power but he's not quite there with Lamington just yet nor up to his experience. In the reality of things, the heroes are still very much underdogs though.


	15. Four Means Death

**Author Notes:** I personally felt the previous chapter was pretty mediocre but eh, I needed to get out something after so long. This chapter is the big finale to end this arc so I hope this one isn't a let down and more par with the quality of some of the older chapters.

To clarify, Walnut uses his name from Soul Nomad to distance himself from the man he used to be but he never ended up in the Soul Nomad world in this one and it won't be a crossover with it. I kinda think this is really it besides cameo's which Nippon Ichi is famous for.

* * *

Rozalin, whether she would admit or not was stressed.

It had been four years. Four seemingly uneventful years after figuring out she was in fact the legendary "God of Overlords" Zenon at least in a past life. Since she had defeated the impostor under that name and Veldime began returning it to its former state she had taken in the position as Overlord. From there most of everything had fallen into place easily enough.

There wasn't much of any challengers around, and most Overlords thought Veldime some backwater place of hicks, so they didn't bother coming once the world returned to normal and Zenon was supposedly gone, only few knowing the truth about the subject. Low-key was the key of keeping Veldime safe. If everyone thought it was just some planet with nothing to offer, then few would bother coming and it would help prevent attracting the wrong kind of attention.

That subject wasn't something anyone talked about or dealt with openly. It had simply been brushed aside since then.

Personally she preferred it that way.

If she paid close enough attention, at times she could still hear the dark whispers and flashes of nightmares that were past memories of her former life. They were thankfully far less frequent these days, but the reminder of her 'old self' was always there as if taunting her. It was only when Adell kissed her and brought her back did the true Zenon seemed content to fade into the background. She knew it was still there, but it didn't feel so imposing on her like it had before.

_Why did you decide to give me back control? _She had wondered more then once.

It had of course never answered in anything but silence.

On the more positive side, her other half seemed content with lending a bit more of its power to her but not taking control. She was notably stronger then she was before, but nowhere near as powerful when her other half came to the surface. She didn't think even now as she was currently she was on that Battle Maniac, Adell's level.

_Of course_. She thought to herself. _Adell focuses on fighting and doesn't have an world to look over._

Leadership and being an Overlord of a world was far, _far_, easier on paper then in practice.

All the books she had read since she was young had all supplied theoretical knowledge and left many holes missing in the more down to earth practical aspects of it. She had to _learn _the hard way to pay attention to the peoples needs and wants, keep a firm balance and still somehow juggle the remains of her personal life.

Tink was useful for running errands and keeping mundane paperwork she didn't need to go through, but there were many things she had to learn and figure out personally. It was a tedious process but over the time Rozalin had to learn to do these things, it had a positive effect: It had made her mature even more.

She was still herself though. Rozalin could still be haughty or even condescending at time still but those moments were more rare then a constant. The way she talked and carried herself however, that had never went away and likely never would. It was simply part of who she was.

The reason for Rozalin's current stress had to do with what had been happening lately. A few months ago some strange attacks had been occurring from monsters of some kind. This wasn't truly that unusual, it was the feeling they gave off. They were demonic clearly but..off at the same time, it was hard to describe.

At first, it wasn't a big problem. A few appeared and then were promptly dealt with.

Then a few more. A couple of dozen here and there, still nothing to worry about.

Then more. A couple turning into dozens.

And those dozens eventually turned into hundreds.

Their population began increasing at a alarming rate and Veldime, once more was starting to look like another Netherworld.

_No._ Rozalin thought back to some of the things she had seen. _A Netherworld is far more kind._

That was an odd thing to say, but it was true. Back when Veldime was turning into a Netherworld, it had been changed and altered, true. But this..something felt twisted and wrong. The forest had changed and even the sky, a clear blue normally or a over cast when it was a Netherworld was now pure gray.

But the worse was the silence. In Netherworlds, it was always noisy or something going on. Here, in the forest and the like it was deathly quite. Something was wrong. These creatures and Veldime being warped were connected. She knew it, but she didn't know how to reverse the process.

Due to the creatures continuing to multiply, many mages had gotten together to form barriers that repelled them in the various towns and cities. Holt Village wasn't so much a village anymore though, not with how many people were starting to occupy it. The barriers would hold, but they couldn't live like this forever, and she refused to lose her home to some mindless beast!

That would simply be inexcusable not to mention Adell was still missing.

That was the main cause of her stress and why at the moment, she had piles and piles of books scattered in her office. Some were stacked upon each making mini towers, while others were laying every which way across the room and across her desk.

Rozalin put down her glasses to the side, rubbing her temples. Her eyes were going to become bad at this rate from trying to decode smaller words of these older books.

She sneezed a bit after shutting a dusty book. _Ugh. There's absolutely nothing to work with! Don't they have anything here remotely useful?_

A knock was heard on the door. "Princess, if I may, I need to speak with you."

"Come in."

A young Magic Knight stood, Isamu was her name and she had been around since the very first misfits that had traveled with her and Adell those years ago.

"First, the young one is awake." She said, her tone business-like as usual and Rozalin found herself appreciating a stable partner in the chaotic mess that was Veldime. "Her name is Castile, apparently. She can't walk still due to her injuries but she's recovering fast. It's..rather strange, though."

"What is?" Rozalin wouldn't mind a slight distraction in her fruitless task at the moment.

"Her wounds." Isamu seemed to think of the best way to describe it. "Normal healing doesn't seem to work as well on her, for some reason. It's..more like something internal about her Mana. When we first got her, she was burning up, as if with fever. But it clearly wasn't. The medic had guessed that a special ability for lack of a better words not only burns her Mana, but her life force."

"I see. So her ability is harmful to her. Anything else?"

"Yes. Ash and that Endroph character want to speak to you. Shall I send for them princess?"

Rozalin didn't know too much about her mysterious 'guest' that had arrived not too long ago. They seemed to be one of the many refuges that came from another world, but other then that she didn't know all that much about them. Maybe..maybe she could finally found out some more information from those two.

She nodded, her decision decided mentally. "Send them."

With a bow, the knight left her private quarters, coming back in what seemed to be minutes later as the two men came in. Ash was the first to enter, followed by his blond-haired companion with the long over coat.

"We'll, no point in dancing around it. You want to get it done or me?" Endorph said. "I didn't want to do this in the first place, but you asked and you got."

"I know. But she deserves to know. Besides, maybe she can help."

"What are you two babbling about?" Rozalin hated even when she thought she was being left out in the dark.

"We have a clue of what's going on." Ash was hoping Endorph didn't put his foot in his mouth anytime soon, he had changed but he still could put people off at times. "

Luckily for all three of their sake, Ash's more tactful way seemed to work.

"Very well." Rozalin relented, maybe against her better judgment. "Speak."

"First..have you noticed the fact some things have been acting more strangely then normal?"

In response, Rozalin looked partly amused."This is a former Netherworld, you'd have to define _normal_."

From his spot, Endoprh chuckled slightly. "She's got you there Ash."

Ash sighed. All right, maybe he needed to explain a bit more of what he meant. "What I mean to say is, things like seeing ghost far more then normal and strange weather?"

"I do recall things like that happening." Rozalin seemed to be thinking. "Are you saying that and what's happening now is connected?"

"It is. It has to do with the After Life being thrown off balance. As for what's happening to your world, that's different.." Ash seemed to think. "It's only fair we tell you a little bit of background first so you can understand."

* * *

Karma was a very funny thing.

At times it seemed to reward those who had done good deeds and punish those who had been in the wrong. Other times, even the most cruel and deprived people seemed to be able to get away with just about everything their wicked heart desired. Being a good person didn't mean good strings of bad incidents wouldn't follow you. In the end though, karma worked on its own time and pace, seemingly at random but always on target in the end.

This was why Walnut, former Chroma Oxide, wondered if this was His Karma.

He had thought after using his Pyscho Burgundy powers to seal Sulphur from Ivoire for good would be the end. Walnut knew he wasn't exactly winning any points earning his way to heaven, if he really still believed in that sort of thing. But just for a moment he thought at that time sacrificing himself to save his younger sister Castile, even if she didn't know it and the rest of Ivoire would be enough. At least enough for the fates to stop dicking him around.

No. Instead he found himself in the middle of the ass end of nowhere. Where ever 'here' was. He didn't think he was in hell like he thought he'd likely end up if there was such thing as an After Life, but it certainly looked like one.

Unlike back home, the sky was pure red and the clouds, when they bothered showing up were black. Most of the terrain around him was mountain-like with there being no grass or vegetation of any kind, except the dead tree's. There seemed to be living tree's at All in this place.

_Or any decent food for that matter. _Walnut thought with a grimace as he chewed through the tough meat of his recent meal; a four legged creature with gray skin and a tail, almost looking like a normal lizard.

There was nobody around. No settlements. No people. No one else around.

Save one.

Only to Walnut he might as well be by himself.

A slap to the face to Walnut had been when he first came to this unknown hell hole, Ash, the Phantom that was always there by that Chroma girls side had came with him.

Somehow, he had been sucked along with him for the ride, which he knew had upset Castile. It meant part of his sacrifice had been tossed aside, as he had wanted his little sister to avoid that pain. Now that damned Phantom had to come and screw it up.

It wasn't rational on a intellectual level, but Walnut needed something to lash out at.

Unfortunately, karma had decided that person had to be Ash.

_If Karma was a person, I'd shoot them and sell their body._

Whether he had wanted too or not though, Ash had stayed by him and helped him get back on his feet. He mostly ignored Ash though, and their conversations were usually on a need to do basis. It had gotten better though, but he wouldn't call them friends. Allies maybe, but that was about it.

Speaking of said Phantom, he had left to go find some more food while Walnut had stayed at their 'camp' made of crude materials they could fine. In reality though, he was the only one who really needed it as Ash didn't need to eat, nor did he have to worry about the limitations of a mortal body made of flesh and bone.

Not that he cared he was gone he had told himself.

..But it wasn't like him to be gone so long.

Looking down at what was left of his meal, Walnut snorted before deciding that he wasn't just going to wait around for the Phantom. The small makeshift campfire made from some of the dead tree's was forgotten at the moment.

_Besides.._ He reasoned, his mind starting to become already made up. _I need to drag his sorry ass back to Ivoire so Castile can see he's still around. _The other reason, the last words he had said to Castile, though she had never heard the words and likely never would.

_I'm proud of you Castile. I hope one day you can say the same about your no good brother.._

He couldn't really go with that promise if he just let something happened to Ash. Could he?

Ignore the slight ache from his older wounds, Walnut got up and started to head towards the direction he had seen Ash last-

-Only for said person to appear suddenly by his side.

"Where the hell have you been?" Walnut got straight to the point. No one could accuse tact being his stronger point at times.

Ash shook his head. "I was just going to find more food but I found something else. There's a gate-"

"-Wait, gate? A town nearby or what?" Walnut had interrupted him.

"I'm not sure." He turned back around to the direction he came from. "Before you ask, I'm pretty sure its not the place where Sulphur dragged us too. It large gate like one of those old castles back home, the rest I can't really see since mountains did a good job of concealing it."

"Then, there's only one thing to do. Let's see if we can find some sort of way to get in. I'm not going to just wander around in this wasteland forever."

Ash, on the other hand, was playing it cautiously like normal. "I don't think that's an good idea just yet."

"And the alternative is to what? Look for a sign? Check things out? Look, with how things are we might as well just go. Light stepping isn't getting us anywhere." Walnut had already made up his mind then, he was going regardless. He wasn't staying in the middle of nowhere anymore if there was the slightest hint of some other intelligent life.

Living intelligent life. He corrected to himself, remembering who he was with.

"Haven't you ever heard of asking?"

The voice came behind them, and both quickly turned around to see a blond-haired woman in armor of some kind. It was hard to tell the design as they had never seen it before.

"Who are you?" Ash was cautious about the whole thing.

"I'm Felonius." The strange woman answered calmly. "My master is interested in the both of you."

"Master, huh? And what does he want?" Walnut hadn't lived in his business that long not knowing when an offer was too good to be true, or it was a suckers errand._ Ask a few more questions, get them to reveal a bit but show little of your cards as possible._

"To be more exact, he's interested in your power." She eyed both of them, her face passive. "He believes that you two could potentially be of great help to his goals and ultimately, for the greater good of things. In exchange, he will try to bring you back to your native realm. Yes, we know you are from some other realm, just not sure where."

"Just where are we?" Ash needed to know, was this really Sulphur's home dimension?

"You two are in a Underworld. More accurately, master Zorpheus' underworld in the less dangerous parts." She said as if she was telling them some mundane fact. "I do not know how you two came. A living being and a Phantom ending up here is rare. If you come, all will be explained. If do not what to come then I will not bother you two anymore. What will be your answer?"

With how things stood, Walnut saw a few practical ways to go about this:

One, see where it leads and keep his guard up.

Two decline the offer and wander around more aimlessly.

They really didn't have too many reasonable options right now and if this place was a 'Underworld' as she called it, then Walnut knew a bit about it from bits and scraps of books he had read but didn't pay any mind.

"All right, you got yourself a deal. This just means I'm going to listen to this offer, doesn't mean I'll follow. Got it?" Walnut said evenly.

"Understood." Their new found hostess seemed a bit low on the emotional side of things or at least very good at hiding them.

"..Are you sure Walnut?" Ash asked slowly in a quite tone.

"Positive. I'm not stupid Phantom." Walnut began following her, but he was walking slower even though this Felonius didn't seem to mind. "We don't have a choice. We didn't the moment she showed up here, if you're smart anyway. I know a little bit about something called a Underworld and if we're in one, its best not to piss the head honcho off."

_Still. She has to be stupid to let us just walk in the back of her. _Walnut thought. _That or she's strong enough to where she doesn't see us as threat. _

This meeting was going to be interesting for sure, his instincts practically told him so.

* * *

Their guide hadn't really talked too much after she began leading them to where they were suppose to go, not for lack of trying from Ash to ask a few questions here and there but she was usually pretty short. This caused most of the trip to be traveled in complete silence, which suited Walnut fine enough. It wasn't like he had anything to say at the moment or anything to ask.

And he definitely wasn't going for small talk with either of the two.

Felonius lead both to the gate Ash had seen earlier; most of it was surrounded by the rocky formation of the nearby mountains just like he had said. Wordlessly, she walked up and simply pressed her hand on the extremely large gates, and with a groan, they creaked open.

_It's that simple? _Ash thought incredulously. It just seemed too simple after looking for some sort of entrance all this time.

The stranger part of it was the fact once they entered through the gates, the whole terrain transformed. Instead of being lead through a cave or anything else that would have been made more sense to Ash, it lead straight to a castle of some kind.

Only it was different from what either Walnut or Ash were used to.

The walls and texture seemed old, far older then any of the castles in Ivoire. At least of the very few that remained back in their home world. Castles had become something of relics of a older past as things got more and more advanced, but both had seen enough castles.

They weren't alone though. Creatures of different shapes and sizes watched them. Some of them looked like golems of some kind, others looked straight out of Halloween. Despite their looks they seemed intelligent and made no move toward Ash or Walnut. It was almost like they were judging them and seeing what their intentions were.

"Once you come in the presence of my lord, I recommend being polite." Felonius monotone voice cut through their thoughts.

Walnut didn't like when it seemed like his intelligence was being insulted. "Yeah. Like we're going to piss the man off when he has all the keys."

Ash ignored his companion. "Felonius, what exactly are those monsters doing in the castle?"

The woman didn't stop her brisk stride until she stopped in front of a large double door with a skull and two swords going through it from either side. "Those are my masters vassals and servants, they're demons."

"_...?" _Ash wasn't too sure about how feel about this. Back in Ivoire, demons were said to be pure evil but the only demon he had ever ran into had been Sulphur and those he spawned. That hadn't much left a good impression they had been wrong.

..Then again, they said the same about Phantoms and he knew that wasn't true. He would have to keep a open mind about this. If Walnut was at all bothered by things, he didn't show it on his face or voice anything about it at all.

Without another word, Felonius opened the large doors after knocking. In the middle of large throne room was a single man starring out the only window of the plain room.

"Lord Zorpheus." Felonius went down on one knee. "I have brought both of them as instructed unharmed and safe."

At first the Underlord was unresponsive, then they stood up to greet his vassal and the two guest and that's when Walnut and Ash got a better look at him.

He was tall, easily at least six feet and was wearing dark armor with a cape. There was a few scars on their face that were likely caused by old battles. Despite the darker look and Ash being reminded for a moment of sprout, they didn't give off the same feeling he had.

"You don't have to bow, Felonius. We've been over this." The woman just stood up after that and bowed after saying she would be leaving.

"You must be plenty confused," They continued. "It's not often we get people that are actually alive here." He glanced at Ash and made a amendment. "..Or technically alive."

"So I here you have an offer for us." Walnut's hands were into his pockets somewhat lazily. "Me and the Phantom are listening."

Zorpheus nodded, sensing the other man wanted to get to the point and be done with pleasantries. "I can only go to places outside my Underworld for a limited time because of the person who sent me here. I need you two to act as go betweens, go to places I can't get too or go."

"So, lapdogs is it?" Walnut brushed a hand through his hair. "I'm not crazy about the idea but I'm not shooting it down yet. What's it it for us?"

"And why can't you just use your vassals you already have?" Ash questioned.

"They suffer the same problem I do, since their native. It was a precaution by the person who sent me here for my 'punishment'. As for your reward, I can see about trying to get you two back home. Felonius had told me you two aren't from here, and that's already an given." Zorpheus looked at Ash more intently. "I can also restore your life, Phantom. But not as a human."

Ash found the idea too good to be true, he was just going to give them all this?

But he had a few questions. Both of them did.

It was Walnut that spoke up first, having already thought what he said over. "I don't sign on into anything I don't know the details too. Normally, with employers I don't ask too many questions but since it sounds there's a lot more and we'll be stuck here with you for a while I'll ask."

"Who sent you here for punishment? You also said you can restore his life, which way do you mean?"

Ash was just slightly surprised Walnut had brought up that question he really was maturing..

"Not that I care. It's just someone back at home will be upset if he doesn't come back as himself."

.._Or maybe I spoke too soon._

Surprisingly, the older man smiled slightly but it didn't quite reach their eyes. "You ask some important questions instead of just jumping at the chance. That's good. It's something I wish I had done long ago. As for your question, he would be restored as a demon rather then whatever he was before." He then sighed. "Normally I wouldn't bother giving this much away, but you two deserve to know what you're getting into. I was human, once. My former name was Aleron."

"I grew up a different realm entirely."

_So there is a bunch of other worlds out there.. _Ash would save his questions for later.

"Back then, things were far more simple there. For the most part, my life was uneventful, that was until I met my Catherine, my wife. She was an angel, and I don't mean the metaphorical term but quite literally one. To put a long story short, we eventually settled down and had a family. However, she became increasingly disturbed about something."

"The Goddess she served, Poitreene wanted power. She wanted a way to amass more power to herself without drawing too much attention to herself. To do this..she needed something.." His tone got more low. "Catherine tried to warn about it, but no one listened. Those fools back where Poitreene lived put far too much faith in her. She's good at deceiving, I'll give her that."

"..And then, one day, my wife confronted her.." There was a long pause. "She had overheard about some plan of hers. But instead of simply striking her down, she did..something to her. My wife, my beautiful Catherine, was warped into some twisted version of herself somehow."

"It was told that my wife had gone insane and attempted to strike her down randomly." He said the tone somewhat bitterly. "She was locked away somewhere and her name was changed to 'Calamity' as punishment. I know for a fact she's still around, Poitreene still uses her energy for her own purposes but a story was spun that 'Calamity' had escaped. I was sent to the Underworld to rot here since I was in league with her, in reality she just wanted me gone."

Ash wasn't sure how much of this tall tale to believe, but he was throughly paying attention. "What was her plan?"

"To amass power steadily but surely, she had devised a system." Zorpheus sighed. "A portion of my wife's now dark energy would go into one individual giving them incredible dark powers but little control. These beings would be known as Dark Princes. To combat them, Poitreene then talked her colleagues into giving certain human light powers which were known as a 'Maiden Of Light'. However, once using all her powers they would die."

"When a Maiden did die, a portion of her energy would be..leaked to Poitreene. This would steadily but surely increase her power without anybody becoming alarmed. Until now." He muttered. "There is going to be a maiden born soon, and this one shall be the last. Once she gets the powers of this one..her powers should accumulate and she'll have no need to be sneaky any longer."

He looked intently at both of them, then surprisingly went on one knee. "I ask, no, I beg both of you to consider my offer. But I can't force you. Doing so would make me better then Poitreene."

Ash and Walnut stood silently together as the man, still kneeling had told them everything. It seemed incredibly far fetched for the both of them. Then again, they were in a real life Underworld, had seen demons and whatever else.

_Not sure how much I believe in this stuff, but the offer is too good to pass up. _

Decision made, Walnut spoke up. "You convinced me at least. I'm Walnut at your service. I'll scratch your back and you scratch mine as the saying goes. As long as you keep your end of taking us back home I got no problem with it. We got a deal?" He extended his hand.

While Ash didn't introduce himself quit like Walnut, he did get himself out there."I'm with Walnut. I still have a lot of questions and I'm still a bit skeptical I'm sorry to say but like he said we can't pass it up. You can call me Ash."

Zorpheus slowly stood up, shaking Walnut's hand.

"We have a deal."

* * *

When the story was finished, Rozalin was frankly confused.

She was also deciding if she should be angry for being tried to be played for a fool.

Neither Ash or Walnut gave any impression they had been lying and if they had wanted to tell a story there was certainly less far fetched tales they could spin.

If they were lying, it made no sense to give such a ridiculous story. At the same time, they seemed to know a bit about what was going on.

So she was going have to give them a bit of the benefit of the doubt. Not full trust, but it was a start.

"Suppose I believe you." Rozalin finally said. "What is it you want from me?"

"We're not going to twist your arm or anything." Endorph knew he needed a pitch for this one. "But honestly, we could use your help. I don't expect you to help for free, but if something isn't done about Baal or that bitch then I don't want to feel in the blanks. You got family to protect, right? That's good enough reason as any."

"Did you say Baal?" Rozalin wasn't sure he had heard him right. "As in the Lord of Terror?"

"You got it. He's been terrorizing a few worlds recently now and changing them. That's why your place is starting to warp like it is. It's his influence."

"You don't have to decide just now." Ash added. "We aren't going anywhere right this instant until Castile can move around more. Why don't you think about it?"

_I can't just very well ignore it, still..I'll discuss things with Yukimaru and the others first. _Rozalin nodded to them. "Very well. I'll go talk to a few other people of mine and I'll get back to you."

"Think it over, but don't take too long. We don't have a lot of time right now. Come on Ash." Endorph turned and headed out the door followed by Ash a moment later.

* * *

Prier was expecting a lot of things when she and the others had ran out to see this dragon Lamington had mentioned. People panicking as they were being evacuated from the city was expected, the ridiculously large dragon that was mixed with silver and white was also expected.

..She just didn't expect the dragon to glow white and shrink and then seemed to vanish. _That _wasn't normal. Never mind her friend being reincarnated or an ancient demon lord causing havoc for everybody.

But it was the smaller dots in the sky, she could barely see them but they became more visible as they got closer.

When the shapes got closer, Prier could make them out more: they were humanoid but had gray skin and were dressed in armor of some king. They also had wings, but they seemed mostly made of energy of some kind then the solid ones Lamington had.

None of them seemed to have mouths either. Or any emotion in their, cold, gray eyes.

What _were _they?

"Sister Prier!"

Prier stopped, skidding on her heels, as one of her fellow hunters came running up, she was still pretty new if she didn't remember her face that well yet. "We need you and your friends help. We've been getting attacks from those strange monsters and that dragon, all of them appeared out of nowhere!"

Adell along with the others showed up, though Culotte was there first since he had been the second one to follow.

"Looks like they decided to stop messing around." Croix said. "We can't keep everyone together if they're spread out like this, it makes protecting the escaping people too much work."

"They're just a bunch of cowards.." Adell scowled, he hated underhanded tactics and this to him was one of them, attacking a place with a mostly defenseless population.

"But effective, it makes the enemy have to spread their resources and kills morale.." Kinta noted. "It's..actually a pretty standard war tactic."

"I don't care." Prier clinched her fist. "They're messing with _my_ home and attacking innocent people here. And their target is Aloutte. There's no way I'm letting them get away with all that."

"I suggest at least three people come with me, to reinforce the other side of the city. But please, hurry up and make a decision now." Nervousness colored the newcomer's voice, but she was at leas trying to be professional about it.

"I'll offer to go." Croix walked by the hunter. "I figure, you'll need a sharp shooter to keep the enemy off the civilians." Mutually, it was decided Kinta and Lamington would go with her

Which just left Adell, Prier, and Culotte to their own devices.

Culotte had chosen to stay to keep an eye on his sister, she wasn't stupid but she was hot-headed and he wanted to be the voice of reason there just in case.

Adell punched his other first into his palm. "All right, lets clean these guys out."

Prier didn't need any further encouragement, it was surprising she even managed to sit still that long.

With out warning, both Prier and Adell dashed off with speed that was clearly inhuman. Culotte, not being the most physical _able _of the group had a hard time keeping up with them, in the sense he barely could at all but even then he too was faster then normal.

Not quite as fast as the speed demons ahead of him though.

The first of the strange new enemies was at least twenty feet up in the air moving much slower then the charging Adell and Prier; the former was moving in a blur on the side of the building as if was a flat surface while the later made a bee-line towards them.

It ignored them, and the slightly lagging Culotte at least at first until its emotionless eyes focused on them causing Culotte to pause just for a moment.

Looking into its silver eyes, it was as if nothing was there but empty space which was more unsettling then any glare.

This didn't stop the other two's charge, and as they closed in for the kill, Culotte began to call forth the mana needed for a spell; an simple one but one that could used easily. Testing the enemy instead of going all out and wasting energy was crucial against an unknown foe.

Prier twirled her baton as she picked up the speed, it started to glow as it span like a top and she let it go straight up towards the 'Celestial' enemy.

As expected, the creature simply moved out the way just at the last second before the twirling flying baton came back like a boom-o-rang for the next hit.

Again it moved out the way simply, changing gears and silently dashing towards Prier.

Only it forgot about Adell and a fraction of a second too late, it found the youth above him, having jumped from the wall, fist aflame as he struck home towards the things face. It was slammed back towards earth, where the labor of Culotte's spell paid off in the shape of sharp piece of ice sticking up from the ground. The sharp edges impaled the monster, but it didn't cry out in pain nor did it bleed.

It did however seem to vanish in a flash of silver light as if it was never there.

Prier didn't pay attention to this, her baton coming back to her side not a second later. "Piece of cake."

"Don't get cocky Prier!" Culotte warned his sister as he came by her side. "We don't know how many of these things are out there."

"Doesn't matter. I'll beat them _all_ down if it means protecting Alouette." Adell hadn't missed a beat responding.

"I like this guy's style." Prier commented, as she moved through the city and a unlucky Celestial was greeted with a boot to the face and through a building wall via one of Prier's famous kicks. "I think me and you will get along just fine."

Culotte groaned. The last thing he needed was another battle-happy person to look after. But he shook his head and focused on what was going on now. He couldn't afford to get in the front lines as most mages weren't meant for hardcore physical combat so he'd have to support them while staying out the way. With how Adell and Prier were moving through enemies with a vengeance and seemingly enjoying it, that was perfectly fine with them.

_I wish I had learned some healing magic. _ Culotte thought, having a feeling even for two people as strong as Adell and Prier, they would need some bandaging up after this was over.

_No. _Culotte amended mentally as some blows struck too close to home for the two-redheads. _They will need some fixing up after._

There really didn't seem to be any end of the things however. No matter how many Adell and Prier struck down with Culotte's help, there seemed to be more taking their place. The only silver lining was the fact many of them had to stay close to the ground to attack as they didn't seem to have much in the way of ranged attacks.

Without any warning or signal of any kind, all the Celestial's in the immediate area seemed to back off from their attacks making all three stop just for a moment.

"..What are they doing?" Prier didn't like the fact they had all stopped and what was more bothering was the fact many of them went to another area of the city as if something had caught their attention.

What could of just caught their attention badly enough to abandon their post?

Suddenly, Prier's eyes narrowed in the distance. "Heads up, we got company." Adell moved by her side in a stance while Culotte was slightly in the back as whatever it was approached them.

The new enemy was different from the others, everyone present noted. It's body was silver and humanoid but instead of a human-like head it was more like a dragon. Standing at least ten feet tall it was still a bit intimidating to normal people, and that wasn't counting the decorated bronze armor it was wearing.

It's wicked-looking lance held in its hand made it pretty clear what it was here for but none of the three were expecting it to speak.

"_Why do you protect the Maiden?" _It's voice seemed to have a slight echo to it.

_It just talked? _Prier surprise went away quickly before it was replaced quickly by anger when she realized it was talking about Alouette. "What kind of stupid question is that? Alouette is my friend, I'm not going to let you people hurt her."

"_Hurting the last Maiden is not the direct goal." _It continued, its voice flat. _"We are only here for the Lord of Terror and to take the Maiden you know as Alouette, home. Rest assured La Pucelle, soon, this world will be purified to destroy Baal's presence and influence."_

"Like hell you will!" Adell snarled, not considering the things words. "I'm not stupid, you're that dragon from earlier, you just shrunk aren't you? Anyone who's okay with means to an end is wrong. It's not my style just to turn the other cheek with something like this."

"And what do you mean by cleanse?" Culotte felt sick as the apprehension in the pit of his stomach grew.

"_Be as it may demon. All your powers are in far too inadequate to do anything to a foe such as the Lord of Terror. But yes, I am that dragon in a smaller form." _It said, addressing Adell first then Culotte. _"Yes. Paprica and this world will be purified in a bright silver light, as it stop Baal from corrupting this world as he had done so many others. In this way, his taint and evil won't terrorize the others. Yo-"_

"Shut up!" Prier didn't want to hear anymore. "You think just because you're some 'Higher Power' it gives you the right to decide things like that? Guess what? It doesn't. And I'm going to stop you here and now."

She twirled the baton in her hand, her stance made her intentions clear, as did the others. "Prepare to repent creep."

The creature watched them passively, before seeming to arrive at a conclusion. _"You three are not needed for Her plan. However, if you three wish to throw your lives away then I will be forced to take them."_

A silver flash that almost blinded the three before it faded, revealing the creature to have four wings made of gray energy on each side. The air around it seemed to become heavier and compress as if it was harder to stand and breath, taking a single step forward, the three tensed.

"_I am Darius and I will be your final opponent."_

* * *

"The poor dear. She's shaking like she's been in water.."

Sister Olive shook her head after gently applying a wet cloth the sleeping Alouette's head. She knew the medicine was working, but it just took time. At the moment though, there was nothing they could do about Alouette having nightmares, or at least it seemed that way.

She had turned and tossed a bit in her sleep, whimpering a bit and otherwise seeming to have the final effects of her fever wearing off. She also occasionally called out 'Adill' or some other words that were muffled and hard to understand. Olive could only watch sadly, her heart aching as her maternal instincts kicked in even if there was little to be done to make her comfortable.

Father Salade said nothing, but she knew how to read the expression behind his glasses, he was worried and rightfully so seeing Alouette like this. The last time he had seen her she had been a self-assured and confident adult with incredible power.

Now she was simply a little girl, that while possessing incredible power was still a child.

Salade wasn't used to seeing her like this. It made him..uneasy. He had to turn away and keep himself distracted.

None of the adults would understand why Alouette was tossing and turning had nothing to with a normal nightmare but something potentially much more dangerous. She saw a creature with great horns towering over everything, its eyes seeming to look in and through whatever it was focusing on. There was something that greatly disturbed the young girl, but she wasn't able to tell this was something more then a mere nightmare; rather a vision.

And so all three remained ignorant as the child continued to 'dream' of what was to come.

* * *

The air was tense as the being now known as Darius waited for them to make the first move, it hadn't begun the first attack as they patiently waited for one of the three to make a move. Adell had figured they purposely wanted them to attack first because then it would give an idea of what each of them to do.

A pretty standard tactic but it was effective.

A silent message was sent to Darius when Prier and Adell charged:

_You won't come to us, fine. We'll just come to You._

Darius was more then happy to oblige them wings spread, Prier darting to his left, and Adell his right. Prier attacked with a round house, the kick aimed for what the creature called a head with enough force to shatter steel.

With the same effort used to stretch, its left hand grabbed Prier's foot, claws digging in slightly as pulled the young woman towards him in an attempt to deliver a fatal blow with its tail-

-Only for the attack to have stopped, Adell slammed into it like a freight train, causing it to release the grip on Prier letting her fall, turning it into a roll away form her opponent and springing to her feet. In annoyance it turned its attention on Adell, the lance coming to strike through his flesh.

Adell had to retreat from his previous assault, instead going on the defensive as the sharp lance picked up more speed some striking to close to home. Darius felt it was winning, a spear ripping part of his clothes and tearing the fabric while drawing a bit of blood.

It was never given more of a chance.

"Culotte!" Prier's voice cut through the air a sharp demand for something.

The Celestial Dragon had only taken its eyes on the demon for a moment, knowing it couldn't afford not to keep them in sight anymore. The human charged forward again straight towards him, the baton weapon spinning in her fingers.

_Foolish. _A straight forward charge even while it was briefly distracted wasn't smart, but humans weren't known for their keen intellectual prowess it noted to itself. Prier baton was let loose, but instead of aimed towards its head, it went skywards over it.

Darius was baffled, but then the puzzlement faded away, a fire ball from the youngest going to hit the baton, still floating in the air which on contact burst into flames before splitting into what looked like more batons. They stayed suspended in the air a few seconds longer before raining down towards him.

He managed to avoid most of them, seeing a large fire ball come towards its backside. On closer inspection, it was actually Adell covered in flames.

Darius moved out the way at the last second, side stepping to let Adell sail past, not expecting one of the batons to still come into play. One of them, still in mid-air, was seen by Adell who quickly got an idea. Instead of simply hitting a building, he twisted in mid air hitting it feet first, bouncing back from it towards his enemy.

Though instead of going straight back at him, he kicked the baton before it hit the ground, the force propelling with far greater speed and power then before.

Not to mention it the fire around it was at least _three _times as large as before.

There wasn't any time to dodge, Darius could only bring its arms in an X block just as the attack connected.

The effect was almost instantaneous, first they burst into flames, the next they were sent rocking off their feet skyward.

Adell was in a light stance, taking a position by Prier and Culotte.

"That thing isn't so tough. It's just a lot of talk." Prier had wondered what they had been so worried about earlier. She had thought it would be tougher.

A roar was heard, it seemed Darius was finally angry, the flames that had been around it had been snuffed out in a burst of silver energy that exploded outward, enough force to push all three of them back.

When it landed, the ground cracked, wings still spread. _"You have managed to hurt this vessel and for that, I'm impressed. Let's try this once more."_

"If you had a lot more power, you should have used it all at once instead of playing around in a situation like this." Adell said, shaking his head, eyes narrowed into fierce determination on his opponent. "That just shows you _don't _believe strong enough in what you're fighting for to be holding back like that. That or you're just arrogant."

"_Then, I shall test the resolve between the four of us." _It's voice was quite but still powerful. _"You are running out of time, but it does not matter. Soon this world will fade away to whence it came or be cleansed."_

"Ugh. Do you _ever _shut up?" Prier asked rhetorically to it. "I told you I don't care about that and I _will _stop you."

"_We shall see La Pucelle."_

Prier frowned. Somehow the calm voice and look was even more infuriating then any smugness.

* * *

Culotte was nervous.

Adell and Prier weren't, but he was, and that was because him being one of the weaker members of the group understood the very real feeling of what it felt like to be outmatched and outnumbered. They thankfully had only one to deal with, which seemed to make its personal mission to deal with them, but he didn't think it would last forever.

And despite doing relatively well against Darius so far, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

They were holding back a bit, that much they knew now but he wasn't sure how much or what other tricks they might bring up from their armored sleeves. He just hoped, no, he just prayed that it didn't focus on him. Culotte wasn't much of a close range fighter and all his magic at least took a moment or two before it could fire.

There were ways around this of course, such as controlling an element more like an extension of your arm and shaping it rather then just firing off a spell and being a sitting duck in the mean time. Unfortunately, Culotte was only lightly skilled with it, only able to do some basic tricks with the element of fire and ice—the spear that had impaled the enemy earlier was one of them.

_It's better then nothing. _He reminded himself. _And I should remain positive, at least its not focused on me, for now._

_Wait. _ _Is that? No.._

Culotte had been hoping their good luck of dealing with a single adversary would continue, but it seemed fate had decided they had too easy before and now it was time to take the kid gloves off. From the corner of his eye he saw specs, which on going closer turned out to be more Celestials.

Just great.

"We need to deal him quickly and think of something." Culotte added hastily. "Darius is bad enough but if we have to deal with him And the others.."

"_It is of no use. Even if I and my brothers should fall, this world's fate has long been decided." _Though the voice hadn't changed, there seemed to be something closer to contempt there. _"It's inevitable. Everything fades with time."_

Those words seemed to irk Adell more then anything else."Tch. There's no such thing as fate. That's just a word for cowards too afraid to take their destiny in their own hands. Besides..if everything fades with time, doesn't that even include the people you work for?"

Prier agreed with that sentiment, though she never got a chance to say much before Darius took the chance to charge them again, throwing the lance like a javelin at the both of them.

All of them scattered at that. Adell and Prier moving to the side, and Culotte taking cover from a crumbled structure that had been half-way destroyed in the earlier raid.

The lance glowed white a moment, before splintering, turning into a total of four; two each going for Adell and Prier.

Again, each dodged the projectiles and tried to close the distance but instead of simply dropping after missing their targets, the lances curved around in an attempt to skewer them. This was faster then the last time and both were forced to abandon their charge on the enemy, the lances starting to attack more often and violently to the point they had to retreat back and focus on _dodging _rather then pressing forward.

Culotte saw this and noticed that Darius seemed to be almost completely ignoring him. _He must not really think of me as a threat.. _The idea didn't sit well with him, but he pushed it away just as quickly as he focused getting Prier and Adell away from the deadly lances. Besides, it could also mean they just weren't that smart, they certainly weren't impressing him so far.

_Okay. He might need to concentrate to move them so if I can hit him with something that should stop it, but if not then I'll just make myself an easy target._

_But if I could freeze the lances, make them brittle enough to break, then we just might have something. _

_If nothing else, it wouldn't matter if he doesn't have an actual weapon to use._

Satisfied with that quick assessment of the situation, Culotte took a deep breath and began summoning forth the required Mana for the spell.

Each spell was different. Depending on the power, the type and what you were trying to do, it could take a good few minutes to get something off. If you weren't doing an actual attack spell but trying to use an element for your use, that took less time but was harder to do for a mage at Culotte's level of skill and power.

In this case he didn't have a lot of time. There wasn't any telling when the enemies would show up and Croix and the others couldn't be counted on to bail them out right now. So he had to force the spell as quickly as he could, even if it was a bit sloppy, the area around Adel and Prier became colder.

And through that cold, Culotte forced _his _power and will on a specific point as he tried his best to freeze the lances.

Just like that, all the lances froze mid-attack and becoming notably slower and clumsy. Adell and Prier didn't waste time and shattered both of them, instantly focusing and then moving to attack Darius now that their backs weren't pressed against the wall.

Of course, Darius hadn't simply waited there, rather he focused on Culotte and the mage realized a second too late they had been paying attention to him. It was just they were waiting for them to attack and waste energy before attacking.

Culotte was tired, he realized. It wasn't a flashy spell that leveled a forest or a city but it had been draining more then he had expected. His body was too slow even at the best of times for an enemy like this and being drained didn't help.

That was why he wasn't too surprised when he was thrown like a rag doll from a punch, his body being lifted off the ground and sailing the opposite way.

He hit a wall, no a side of a building but instead of being squished like a pancake like a normal human would have been, he just hit the ground in a slump. Black spots danced in front of his eyes from the pain and he had to have at least two broken ribs.

Culotte wanted to curl up and die. The pain was too much, he hadn't ever been hit like that before, not even during all his time demon hunting.

With an effort that was decidedly superhuman, he forced his battered body to move, only able to sit on his hands and knee's, breathing heavily.

He didn't hear someone call his name or foot steps rapidly approaching as he finally blacked out from the pain.

* * *

"Culotte!"

Prier and Adell had watched as the young man was knocked away like a toy to another area on the ongoing battlefield.

After the surprise faded away, Adell snarled, turning to Darius but Prier stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Just go get Culotte. I'll settle things with this creep." Prier was glaring hatefully at Darius.

Adell hesitated only for a moment, before nodding and running off to where he had been hit. Culotte was her family and he could respect getting even with something like that. Besides, he had to hurry up and make sure he was okay then he'd come and beat that jerk into a pulp. That is if Prier didn't pound them into fine paste before he got back.

He left the two to fight it out, searching quickly for any signs of Culotte. He was starting to wish he had learned how to sense Mana signatures better, then it would make somethings a lot easier. But nothing could be done about that now.

Culotte was found on his hands and knee's before he collapsed. Adell quickly appeared by his side in an instant, as if he had teleported before going to inspect him. He was no medic or healer, but he knew wounds when he saw them, so he could at least see how bad it was. Getting hit like that would have killed a normal person for sure and snapped them in half like a twig, but Culotte was still alive, albeit worse for wear.

It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it definitely could have been better. It looked like the poor kids ribs had been broken or at least cracked. _If they heal wrong, we'll have to break them so they can heal properly. _Adell grimaced, he wasn't looking forward to that if it happened.

"What..happened?" Culotte asked, wincing from the pain as he began to wake up.

"Take it easy. You just got pummeled but you should be okay." Adell didn't want to take any chances but he had to ask. "Can you walk or move on your own?"

"I think..so." Culotte forced himself to stand, it wasn't as steady as he would have liked but it was enough for now. He wouldn't be much help in a real fight as he was now however.

Before anything could be done, Adell noticed more Celestials and mentally cursed, they just had to show up now.

_I can't really fight them and look after a wounded person._

Then he shook his head.

_Listen to yourself Adell. You're talking yourself out of it before the fight even starts. Since when has that been my style? I'll just have to be creative._

Even as they landed, about six and all Adell glared at them defiantly, body tense.

"_You and the rest have been tainted." _The one in the front said simply, grip on a great sword as it approached them.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Adell was _really _starting to dislike these people.

"_Baal. His power and presence corrupts and warps the world he enters in. The surviving inhabitants become little more then part of his ever increasing army and the world he visted little more then a broken shell then its former self."_

"_In order to make sure his power is somewhat contained before he is dealt with, we cannot let the taint to be spread."_

Adell couldn't believe what he was hearing.

These things were suppose to be agents of heaven and they were talking so casually about killing people for what they thought what was some greater good?

No. They couldn't be, it didn't make sense.

"Are you serious?" Adell had to repeat himself.

"_We don't jest demon." _The 'leader' said despite not having a mouth.

Adell scowled, finding to his surprise the demon comment not bothering him at all anymore. "Even if I was a 'demon' to you, what does that make you guys?"

"It makes them dead."

Before anyone could react a few shots were fired, one of the Celestial's turned to ice and shattered and another caught on fire, the rest scattered to find out where the threat came from.

Croix landed by Adell's side, seeming to drop from somewhere. "Sorry I'm late, I got a bit side tracked. Hope you two don't mind me crashing in your party?"

Adell found himself grinning a bit at the gunslinger, relief at his arrival. "Heh. Not at all. Me and Culotte were getting a bit lonely being the new guys here. Nice to see a friendly face." He slid into a stance protectively in front of the younger boy glaring at the Celestials. "..By the way, your one liner really didn't match."

Croix shrugged a bit, stepping forward. "Yeah, we'll, I couldn't think of anything. In the mean time, lets not keep the guest waiting. Kinta and Lamington will be here, until then its up to us to clean house over here. Where's Prier?"

"Prier is on the other side, they knockec Culotte pretty far so we have to get back to her." Adell eyes narrowed, feeling renewed energy flood his body even as the enemies regrouped., they needed to hurry up and get back to Prier.

"_None _of you are leaving."

* * *

Now that Prier was alone she circled around Darius while he seemed to watch her calmly without saying a word.

No one. Absolutely no one hurt her family and got away with it. She wasn't going to let that go.

"_You and the demon even at your best had difficulty ending me. Alone you throw away your life carelessly. It's absurd. I will give you but one chance to leave." _What was it about humans that made them suicidal the moment their emotions got the best of them?

Prier shook her head at that. "You go on about all that talk about home being 'cleansed' attack my home and my little brother. Then you have the guts to say in my face I should just give up? I got nothing more to say to you."

To the Celestials alarm, it found the Prier's Mana spike higher then it had previously as she dashed forward and it tensed preparing itself for the incoming onslaught.

They were forced back from a flurry of kicks, each one at a different angle as they desperately tried to parry them as they got progressively stronger with each hit.

Then it saw an opening, the human was a fraction of a second too slow and it went to wrap its hands around her ankles-

-Only the attack was a feint, and Prier used her standing leg to thrust straight to the thing's face and use it as spring board to bounce off.

It reeled back, slightly off balance but Prier was there before it could attempt to recover her baton in hand as she charged it in close quarters combat. Darius was forced back more, the strikes having more power to them due to the strength of the wielder and Mana being channeled at least subconsciously through them.

But it was recovering, the blows stung but they were able to block and take the hits, pressing forward to make Prier have temporarily halt her furious assault.

Another weapon was summoned in a flash of silver light, this time a long sword which was used in attempt to cut Prier in half.

She backpedaled, dodging and maneuvering out the way in her best attempt not to get turned into human soup but she was starting to realize a weakness. The sword had reach, but that reach made them unable to fully use it in close range.

She just needed one opening.

_There!_

Prier saw it, the sword coming in a forward thrust and purely on instinct, she moved to the side and stepped in before they could swing again, ignoring red gash on her side from the sword grazing her skin a bit too close.

Before Darius could readjust their footing, Prier with her right hand grabbed the sword arm holding it tight as she yanked him towards her as both feet planted on their face sending them sailing on in the opposite direction.

In contrast to her opponent trying to readjust its flight path, Prier landed on her feet, crouching low before launching herself skywards at her hated enemy.

Darius saw the foolish human trying to fight in his element and simply moved to the side, content to let them plummet to death or injury. But then it saw Prier throw her baton ahead of her before it split into several of them. What were they doing?

The answer soon came. Prier somehow used the baton she had thrown as yet another spring board letting it propel herself in mid flight as she soared up and _above _Darius before using yet another baton above that to launch her at break neck speeds towards him.

"If you like flying so much, how about learning how to walk more?"

He wasn't able to move out the way and it happened faster then it should have been possible. The brief moment taken to look at the human's ingenuity had been a mistake and it instead had to block Prier's earth splitting Axe kick by crossing its arms.

It didn't help. Pain shot through its body and it found itself dropping like a rock back to earth. The impact created a crater as Prier got off the body of her hopefully deceased opponent. They weren't moving and she got some distance between them.

_Serves the asshole right. _Prier was starting to feel tired now, panting. She had attacked with pretty much all she had, having used up her Mana reserves in one furious and fast pace assault without holding back or letting up. It let her over run opponents at times, others, when they outlasted her tended to make things uglier afterwards.

..Only to see Darius stand up, yet again.

Prier's eye twitched at that. _What is he made out of? I gave that last kick everything I had!_

Taking a deep breath, she prepared what was left of her reserves for one last attack to hopefully end things when something screamed in the back of her mind.

Prier barely paid attention to her Demon Hunter training back when she was a trainee. She knew the basics and had built from there but if there was one thing that had stayed and stuck with her was to listen to your instincts. They were practically screaming at her now: _move, move, move!_

And she listened to them, jumping in the air as her previous spot was destroyed by what looked like..feathers? It looked like them and if them slicing through concrete was any indication, she didn't want to get hit by them.

But before she could process things further, she felt something hit her hard on the side knocking the air out of her lungs as well as sending her into the ruins of a half-destroyed building. Celestials, there were more of them and they were now surrounding her.

She forced herself to stand back up, ignoring the stab of pain running down her leg.

This..wasn't good.

Darius was still alive. She was alone now and even more enemies were flocking to her attention. They had such wonderful timing.

_What's taking Adell and Culotte so long? They should have been back by now! _She thought frantically trying to think and quickly as that as she was running out of time. Maybe the reason they hadn't come back now was because Culotte was-

She shook her head fiercely at that. No. Her brother wouldn't die that easily and though she didn't know Adell she doubted he would either.

Prier felt a hand on her shoulder, and on reflex, her hand tensed into a fist to throw whatever had startled her-

-Seeing an surprised Kinta who barely managed to dodge by moving her head, backing away a bit.

After the surprise went away, Prier frowned. "Don't scare me like that! I could have knocked you into next week on accident or something."

"Sorry." She said after a moment at length. "Old habits. I came to assist you, the other people in charge are handling the evacuation while we cover everyone..." She trailed off noticing her comrade clothes stained with red. "..You're bleeding..."

Prier left that alone, noticing something. "I'll live." She said, waving it off. It wasn't like there was a healer nearby and she had worse. "Hey, where's Lamington?"

In response, Kinta merely pointed towards the sky.

* * *

It wasn't that Prier's enemies had suddenly stopped their approach without reason.

Power. It was the sheer overwhelming power that came came from a certain Seraph in the sky, their wings spread to their full length. Large spell-like glyphs appeared around the powerful angel in a circle before a single one appeared in the front; where they held out that were thrust outward.

The special technique _Armageddon_ was something Lamington rarely used because of its destructive power and the fact it was every bit as draining as it looked. From the now single purple-colored gylph energy came from it and spread down on the Celestials who tried in vain to move out the way.

They never stood a chance.

A sound similar thunder echoed through out the area on impact, the place covered with a blinding light before The devastation left in its wake was obvious the moment the light went away; half the Celestials numbers had been completely obliterated while it had changed the landscape. There was a notably large crater and the ruined buildings that had been wrecked in the fighting from before had crumbled into ruins.

The Armageddon technique certainly lived up to its namesake even if he had been holding back.

Lamington landed softly on the ground after, the enemies though fractured wouldn't take long to begin in earnest but landing was mostly for his companions benefit. It took a moment, but Kinta and Prier came out of one of the wrecked ruins, going over while the later seemed to limp behind a bit from her wounds caused by her battle earlier.

"What did you just do?" Prier slowed her walking, grateful for the enemies backing off just for a moment after the large attack.

"Armageddon. It's a technique of mine. Hold still." Before Prier could protest, Lamington held out a white hand over Prier, his hand glowing as flesh mended back together. It did nothing to make Prier's fatigue go away, but it did what it needed to do.

"Thanks. I think I'll have to keep you around for a bit longer."

If Prier was in good enough mood to tease, she was fine and Lamington, satisfied moved away from the demon hunter.

Neither Kinta or Prier expected the powerful and usually stotic Seraph to suddenly break out into a cold sweat. None of them expected the brief flicker of emotion that crossed his eyes as he tried quickly to put back on his mask.

It was fear.

Even the Celestials weren't paying attention to them anymore, focusing on another area.

"What's wrong?" Prier was concerned. After all, anything that caused someone as strong as him to freak out warranted some attention.

Lamington didn't answer, shaking his head muttering a 'no' to himself before calming down.

Prier and Kinta's gaze turned the south and that's where they saw what might as well been death in humanoid form bound by flesh.

Baal, the Lord of Terror had finally come.

He strode in, all the fighting seem to have stopped as he easily towered over everyone else. Their steps were slow and confident, taking their time as they were on a casual walk. Lamington tensed as he approached while Prier and Kinta took a position by him.

If Lamington was a bone fire in terms of power, Baal was the sun. The difference between power was astronomical.

For Prier it was the smug, confident stroll that irked her despite the power but she knew, almost instantly, it was him. The long cape and horns on their head, the power that rolled off them in calm waves there was no doubt it was truly Baal.

Finally, the giant stopped in front of the three. Their gaze flickered to the airborne Celestials, then back to Lamington's group.

"**I see." **Baal's voice was deep but it sounded oddly happy at seeing all the potential enemies. **"It seems things go in full circle my old friend." **The last bit was directed towards the Seraph.

"I am not your friend." Lamington said uncharacteristically cold.

There was a low laugh from the Tyrant, he was amused. **"Perhaps so. But I am curious. Do they still talk about me? Do they ever whisper my name? Or do the demons and angels consider me a myth? Something to scare children at night in stories? I wonder.."**

He took another step forward, Lamington's tensed more as did the others, the other enemies merely watched. Baal seemed amuse. **"And it seems I get to clash with the forces of 'light'. But they are little more then hypocrites parading around as if they have absolute morality. It's illogical as it is amusing. I think we at least agree on that Seraph?"**

Prier didn't like this guy and despite her self-preservation instincs screaming at her to shut up at the moment she had to speak. "Just what do you want?"

"**I want this universe as it once was. When it was nothing as it was now."**Baal's answer was vague as they come. **"To return things back as what they were once were before **_**this." **_He gestured around the ruined city. **"Everyone has forgotten as they use civilization as a crutch, even the Netherworld isn't free from it. I will tear apart every foundation, every decaying shackle in this diseased world and let it return to is natural state."**

"..You don't make any sense.." Kinta murmured, she wouldn't admit it but she was more intimidated by the Lord of Terror then she let on, but if even a Seraph was then it wasn't as bad.

Baal tilted his head once. **"I do not expect there to be an understanding. But I'll say something that even you can. When I tear apart this crumbling foundation I'll **_**enjoy every minute of it. **_**And there is absolutely nothing you or anyone else can do."**

Everyone tensed at that. A fight was coming and Lamington was quickly trying to think of someway, anyway to stall for at least a few more minutes.

If Baal really wanted too, he could tear apart this world like much cheap paper on his own and nobody here could stop him.

The tension was thick at the moment, nobody wanted to make the first move. Everyone was calculating when the first strike would be, Baal's calm but dark and powerful presence had thrown a complete wrench in any possible tactics. What happened was totally dependent on the newest contender but everyone present knew they couldn't take their eyes off them, doing so meant death.

There had to be something. Lamingtonw was thinking furiously of some way to switch the situation around. At the moment, their only hope was that the Celestials attacked, distracting Baal long enough to make an escape.

Nobody here could hope to hold a candle to Baal. As much as he didn't want too, a retreat was in order even as just the thought put a bitter taste in his mouth.

The deadlock was broken unexpectedly from something in the sky. It was a glyph, somewhat similar to Lamington's but silve in color and much bigger, at least enough to feel up a good portion of the sky.

All Lamington and the others knew was when energy came crashing down from it and it began to expand, everything went completely white before fading away.

* * *

**Authores Notes: **Hot damn that was long! Anyway I hope this chapter was a lot better then the previous one as I was very unsatisfied with it. For the people who still are reading this back from where it first started I want to thank you and I intend to try to make it up you guys. Even if its silent reading it means a lot.

But if the dramatic display and chapter length wasn't a clue, that concludes this arc for sure.


	16. Tensed Relations

**Author Notes: **You know, I have to be honest about something I noticed that has baffled me. I never understood the point of people saying they would like to hear constructive criticism. Then when they get some which point out some flaws in the work, even if they're polite about it, said author will freak out.

You have to learn take the bad with the good, but that's only my two cents.

On another note, I realized some time ago there is also a 'Twilight Realm' in the Legend of Zelda. Sure I had the name before the game came out and they're different from each other but it seems a bit strange. Oh well, it fits and its different enough to be its own entity. I'm pretty positive this name has been used before a couple of times.

* * *

There were a few things Croix noticed the moment his conciseness began to come back to him.

One, he was alive.

Two, he hurt all over.

Finally three after his vision began to clear and he noticed his surrounding, which lead to a single question:

W_here _was he?

With notable effort, Croix with a slight grunt pushed himself up on slightly unsteady legs. His clothes were torn but it was hardly the biggest of his concerns at the moment. The sky was over cast as if it was going to rain in any second and instead of being in the city he had been before; he found himself in a forest. It was deadly silent though, unnaturally so. No animals. Not even the sounds of a river running. The silence was almost unnerving.

Another strange thing was the sky was gray and there seemed to be no color, like a black and white picture.

That didn't make sense. The last memory was him and Adell fighting those jokers and then there was a flash of light and a jolt of pain. Him losing consciousness and then..

..And then what? There was a huge gap in his memory.

"_**You really are a pain in the ass, you know that right?"**_

Croix then noticed to his horror something he thought he never see again. Standing was a man that was an exact replica of himself, the same clothes but there was no guns. The differences however were hard to miss. Their features were sharper and more predatory and the eyes though still black were a notable shade darker.

To top it off he didn't have clawed hands.

Just a few feet away from him was himself as he was when he was the Dark Prince.

Once the shock went away, Croix reached for his weapon and his darker self didn't as much try to stop him.

"_**I'm pissing myself in fear over here with that pea shooter you got there." **_Their voice was mocking despite the fact they had a powerful anti-demon gun pointed at them. **_"Now, if you're done do you want to hear what happened or not? I could just leave you here for now."_**

"I don't trust you." Croix said bluntly. "And I don't have any reason to trust you. Prier purified my heart years ago from the darkness. It shouldn't be possible for you to even be here. When she did that, I lost your power."

His other self laughed a bit like they heard something funny which annoyed Croix. _**"For someone smart, you can say dumb things. Think. Do you honestly think power like that just 'goes away' conveniently? That power is you. Besides, I quite like hanging around."**_

"I still can't trust you. Not after the things I did while I had that power." The large gun was still pointed between his dark self's eyes.

"_**Then ask this. Do you trust yourself? I'll put it this way. Bluntly speaking you died and I had to save your sorry ass."**_

"..What?" Croix wasn't sure he heard right.

"_**That's right." **_His other half shrugged. **_"We'll, it was more like you were dead for about a minute before I jumped start your heart. Now, are you going to put your toy away or not?"_**

Croix frowned but reluctantly sheathed his weapon, keeping some distance between them. "What about the others?"

"_**Eh?" **_It looked as if they were thinking. **_"Don't worry, your band of misfits are alive. Since our senses are connected I can't tell where you are exactly. I think its safe to say your little city been blown off the map..along with the rest of that world."_**

"You can't know that. For all I know I could just be buried behind rubble and they forgot about me." Croix was adamant about believing anything major like that happening without evidence and he obviously didn't trust..whatever this thing was.

"_**It's not my loss. Think what you want." **_They sounded indifferent.

Croix didn't understand any of this. Why was this part of himself being so helpful? Things just weren't adding up. The two of them weren't exactly happily sharing a cup of tea and stories together but it seemed surreal to see the 'Dark Prince' helping him out.

"_**Confused?" **_They saw Croix's momentarily surprised expression and smirked. **_"You can't hide things from me. I know all you feelings and thoughts."_**

"..Really?" Croix was skeptical.

"_**Actually, no. I was just messing with you. But it would a less of a pain if I could. You're just easy to read to me."**_

Croix wanted to strangle himself, as odd as that sounded in his head.

"_**You're going to wake up soon, so I'll make this short so you won't annoy me with stupid questions later. This-" **_A slight gesture was made to encompass the deathly silent forest. **_"-Is your mind scape. Now the reason its so gloom at the moment is you almost died. It tends to do that. When you're feeling healthy and at peace, the forest will change and a small village will form. That's the standard mind scape for you."_**

Croix had experienced the power first hand of 'diving' into a human heart. He had seen it happen with Eclair and her dark half so he didn't think he was hallucinating. It required someone with exceptionally strong holy powers though, Alouette having used it when she had an adult body. Maybe this was the same thing, but he found it still unsettling being so close to the other half he wanted nothing to do with.

He had a lot of questions but he wasn't sure which to ask. They were running out of time and he still didn't trust them.

One question, an obvious one, had to be cleared up. "..And why are you helping me? Why not just take over and leave me trapped?"

There was a silence, mainly because the Dark Prince was looking at Croix as he had said water was wet when you touched it.

"_**Because, dumbass, if you die, I die. It's that simple. And I'd love to take over, but I can't do much besides annoy you right now. If you want a more in depth answer, maybe when Prier 'purified' you, it simply balanced the dark part of your powers. Who knows. I don't really care as long as I'm existing."**_

"At least that part works out for you." Croix commented dryly.

Before the friendly conversation could continue, Croix noticed that the tree's and everything else began to fade away and he felt as if something was 'pulling' him somewhere. It seemed the Dark Prince knew what was happening.

"_**That's your cue. You're leaving now."**_

Everything began to fade away but before then, Dark Croix suddenly vanished from his spot at speeds his normal self couldn't track, fist slamming into where the heart would be. There was no damage done besides the pain and the sudden jolt Croix felt before everything turned white once again. Before then he heard his darker self say a few last parting words.

"_**And by the way, I might not be able to bail you out next time. So for later; don't screw it up.."**_

* * *

__ Croix awoke with a start, a cold sweat on his body as he became aware of his surroundings. He felt tired and a bit out of it, but otherwise fine except for the slight pain left side of his chest. It was the same spot where his other half had hit him. A burning feeling but it was slowly throbbing away to something that while uncomfortable,was hardly crippling to him.

_So it wasn't just some dream.._

Briefly, his eyes scanned around the area instantly noticed he was in a bed. His long coat was on the other side of the room folded into a chair and his shades were on a nearby dresser to his left. Croix didn't know what kind of clothes he was currently in, just a simple white t-shirt and some pants.

_Looks I got banged up worse then I thought. _Ignoring the slight throbbing pain, he forced himself up but careful not to reopen any wounds since had bandages underneath his clothes. It was then he noticed just in the corner was Adell on another bed, but he was in his clothes. It was hard to tell if they were sleeping or not since they were on their side.

Croix was understandably confused, first what happened, where they were and where the others were at. "Adell, you alive over there?"

First there was no response, then the young man answered, their voice tired. "..Yeah. I don't feel too well and can barely move."

This gave Croix some relief at least one of his new friends was in one piece. "Good. Listen, do you remember what happened? All I remember is us fighting those freaks and then.."

"That flash of light?" Adell, with effort pushed himself in a sitting position on the edge of the bed. Even that was draining to him now. "I remember that too. Thing is, I don't know what happened exactly. They were going on about how they were going to cleanse the world in some white light. So..logically, that means.."

He didn't finish and he didn't have too. The implications were obvious. Croix felt a bad feeling began to form that had nothing to do with his wounds.

"I'm sure the others are okay." Adell said, more as if he was trying to assure himself.

"Yeah. I'm sure..." Croix's voice was hollow as thought of Paprica being gone and his friends missing.

A tense and somewhat awkward passed between the two young men, before Croix decided to fill it with something else. "..How long have you been out?"

"I don't know. I've only been conscious for a hour or so..I think. It's hard to tell." Adell rubbed his temples. "Ugh. It's not making _any_ sense. How did we even end up here? Where ever here is?"

"Who knows." Croix laid back down on the bed. "Who ever did has to be friendly, otherwise we wouldn't have woken up or have our wounds tended too. Once we heal up, we'll leave and find everyone else."

Adell nodded. He believed in his friends and had faith they would be all right. He wished his mana sensing was better, then maybe he could track them down. As he was, he only could have a vague sense of 'Guy A is stronger then Guy B, and guy C will likely kick our collectively asses'.

Even Alouette sensing was better in some ways, if not erratic and uncontrolled. She was a kid after all but it was still impressive.

In the mean time, Adell and Croix could do nothing but sit uselessly in their beds. Both of them hated it but could do absolutely nothing about it. The only thing productive or at least semi-productive was trying to think of how they ended up where they were at. It was safe to say they weren't in Paprica anymore. Just outside the windows were gray-colored skies and it didn't look anything like the city they had been in.

"I just thought of something."

Croix glanced at his companion after he spoke. "What is it?"

"It's too much of a coincidence, when you think about it." Adell said. "Think about it. They say things about cleansing your world in a white light, and instead of dying we end up here, alive. It's like they're jerking us around for something and I don't like it."

"Yeah..Now that you mention it, it doesn't add up. It's not like they're going to just drop in and tell us what their angle is though. Maybe.." Croix stopped in mid sentence as both of them heard a light knocking on the door.

"Can I come in?" Who ever was behind it was female, it sounded familiar but Croix couldn't place where he heard the voice before.

Croix didn't see the point of saying no and neither did Adell. "Come in."

Walking through the door was a person he never thought he would see again. Shoulder length red hair, kind blue eyes and a casual blue dress. Croix knew who she was instantly, his feeling conflicting emotions at once. Confused ones.

_..Angelique..?_

"I'm sorry about the food, we don't have much right now and Krichevkoy burned the rest trying to cook." She said somewhat apologetic as she sat a tray down filled with food. Angelique looked at Adell then to Croix. "It's good to see you again, Croix. Even if you're not my Croix."

"Okay.." Adell was obviously lost, he didn't know what was going on. "Any one want feel me in?"

"I'm Angelique. I'm sorry about not introducing myself earlier to you, I got distracted." Angelique said to Adell. "I met Croix and some friends of his four years ago."

"Adell. Nice to meet you." Adell could tell something was really bugging Croix, he was doing a decent job hiding it but he could tell somethings were on his mind. For now he let it go, he had a few things to ask. "Was there any other people with us?"

"Others.." Angelique paused, thinking. "We'll, there was Prier and Culotte. If you know Croix, you know who they are. There was also a man with wings, a little blond-haired girl and a woman with purple hair and red eyes. Noir and Krichevskoy found you out in the forest." Croix stiffened at that name but she went on. "It's very fortunate we found you in time. And before you ask, they're okay."

"Good.." Adell visibly relaxed at that, sinking back on the bed. He didn't want anyone that he was friends with to die under his watch but the thought of Alouette dying because he failed terrified him.

"I can't do much for your wounds and I just came back recently. But I can heal you so you can get around. Is that all right with you?" Angelique was making sure it was okay first. The last time she had done without permission hadn't ended well. She doubted Adell would do anything being friends with Croix but still.

"If you can get me back on my feet, I'm all for it. It's not like I would be able to sit still that long anyway." Adell was being honest with that, he _hated _sitting doing nothing and his friends needed him. Croix just nodded, still preoccupied with other things.

Angelique without another word moved to Adell, holding a glowing white hand over his form as flesh began to mend together slowly and some energy returned to his body. She did and went to do the same with Croix, but once she was done, she was sweating a bit and her hair stuck to her forehead.

She backed away after her work. "It's..not as strong as it used to be. But I think you two should have enough energy to move around now. You still can't strain yourselves until you're properly rested."

"Are you going to be okay?" Croix asked her a bit concerned.

"I'll be fine." Angelique smiled, it didn't quite reach her eyes but worked. "Healing didn't used to drain too much on me and I could do more but now.." She trailed off, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. Please, just rest for now. If you want to see your friends, you can find them in the mansion. I have to get going but if you need anything just ask."

She then left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Croix got up when she left, walking towards where his blue long coat waiting on the chair where his gun was also waiting just on the floor. "I'll be right back." He headed to the bathroom for a minute, the sound of a sink running heard before he came out moments later. Fully dressed with his gun stashed away along with his boots back on.

Adell followed suit, going to the bathroom to get properly dressed and cleaned up. Of course, when he was done he hadn't gotten rid of his tie; he wore the thing everywhere. Even ignoring the fact he wore a different shirt these days, with a silk white/silver color. To complete the look a Chinese Dragon was grafted in the back. It was likely because of the sentimental value of being a gift from Alouette's parents he kept it around.

"Croix." Adell started after a moment. "Where do you know Angelique from? I'm only asking because if you know her, then it must mean we're still in Paprica, right?"

"No." Croix shook his head. "It's..complicated. Long story short of it is, Angelique died." This surprised Adell and he went on. "I knew her before I knew Prier. Crazy as this sounds, we traveled back in time. Nobody knows how still, some think the Goddess. Others thing something else. I'll explain it later, promise."

Adell would have said anyone claiming that would be crazy, but after all he had seen he was beginning to learn to keep a very open mind. It didn't mean he was any less confused.

"Okay, I'll wait. I'm still trying to wrap my head around.." Adell paused, a realization setting in for the first time. "Wait. If Angelique died and she's here, then wouldn't that mean we're dead too?"

It was hard to see Croix's reaction behind his shades, but his body language made it obvious he was bothered by the implications. "..I doubt it. Let's not jump to conclusions until we find out more about where we are." He headed towards the door.

"Besides, I want to see this 'Noir' for myself. If he's the same I'm thinking then everyone here might be in trouble."

* * *

Kinta was a cynic by nature.

Very little in life made sense and fewer times it was what anyone would call fair. Trying to make sense of the chaotic mess that was living was pointless; the best you could do was try steer it in a direction that favored you more. More often then not, when incredibly good things happened when it should have been next to impossible it wasn't an miracle.

A few images passed her mind, her last thoughts being a flash white light and her mouth moved into a firm line under her mask.

_No. No such thing as coincidences._

The question was then, who had helped them and why?

Her ninja training and instincts were telling her who ever had done this _wanted _something from them. It wasn't often people did things like this simply from the kindness of their hearts and experience told her they would come to collect on that debt. She didn't like it. Who ever it was must have had a considerable amount of power if she was here alive, and glancing at Prier sitting on her bed along with Alouette sleep on the other bed confirmed this further in her mind.

And hadn't they wanted Alouette intact? So why..

"You up?"

Kinta blinked, slowly rising from her bed more at hearing Prier's voice.

"Alive as well."

Prier frowned a bit. "Not funny."

"Sorry." Kinta said, but not meaning it all the way as she sat up on her bed. Thankfully, they hadn't changed her clothes. "Any idea where we are? Or where the others are?"

"Not Paprica." Prier confirmed. "I don't know _where _we are exactly. Culotte and the others are safe though, I got to see them while you were sleep. They're still out of it right now."

"I see. Why aren't you with them then?"

"I wanted to check up on Alouette and you."

For a second, a brief flash of surprise showed in her eyes, but it went away quickly. Kinta didn't know why she was touched by the simple statement, but she was. Before she could say anything else, her above average hearing picked up Alouette stirring.

She moved a little bit before slowly coming to, rising up in the bed and seemingly startled by the strange surrounding and being with people she wasn't used too. Seemingly on instinct, she curled up, hugging her knee's to her chest.

"W-where am I? Where's Adill?" Her eyes darted around the room, the presence of the two women making her uneasy rather then comfortable.

Kinta frowned a bit, she didn't remember the child being this jumpy from the brief time she had known her. Then again, despite Alouette being more mature and smart for a child her age, she was still just that. An child.

A very scared and confused child.

Problem was, she wasn't particularly motherly and was at a loss of how to proceed. Luckily,she didn't really have too.

Prier eyes softened a bit and she went over, though not suddenly as not to startle the girl. "Adell is fine and we're safe. My name is Prier. Can I have your name?" She knew the name of course, but the little girl didn't know that.

The small blond didn't respond at first, though she seemed a bit more relaxed then before.

"..Alouette.."

"That's a pretty name." Prier motioned to the ninja wit her hand. "This is Kinta. I know she might look scary, but she's harmless, I promise."

Almost against her will, Kinta found her mouth curving to a small smirk under her mask. "How do you know its not the other way around?"

"I just do." Prier crossed her arms and nodded, as if that explained everything though it was obvious neither were serious.

The two's conversation did have an positive effect on Alouette, and she seemed to relax a bit more as Kinta and Prier talked.

"So..now that we got out the way, how about I take you to Adell?" Prier asked her, slowly holding her hand in offering but careful not to startle her. "I'll take you right to him."

Alouette looked at the outstretched hand, hesitating for a moment before moving off the bed and slowly taking her hand. This made Prier beam down at her.

"I hope we can be good friends some day, but this is good enough for now." Prier turned to Kinta who hadn't said a word. "You coming?"

Wordlessly, Kinta moved to Prier's side and that to the Demon Hunter was enough for her. The mansion they were in looked normal enough, not that Kinta truly cared to notice. But part of her training which was annoying at times was looking at the little details. Things that stuck out or just called to her that could possibly mean life or death. Or at least knowing when you were being played for a fool.

Other times it was just annoying and didn't let her relax when she should.

_Partial paranoia seems to be a unintended side effect of Ninja training._

It was the times it proved useful that she was grateful. Whether it was missing a small detail about the food they had been preparing(she knew how handy that could be traveling with Adell's group) or a small crucial detail of information they had overlooked. Today—or rather tonight as it seemed to be judging by the outside of the windows, was different.

She frowned, though it was barely noticeable under her mask and took a small closer look as she walked with the other two.

_There's..two moons?_

It seemed to be. One was a blue moon and there two, and a one as far as she could see was a red moon. That puzzled and bothered her the most. She didn't know how to read, but she was far from stupid and she was far more street smart then book smart. Kinta knew the meaning behind the Red Moon. The only thing she _didn't _understand was why here? Why now?

"Prier..why is there two moons? Much less the Red Moon?"

Prier for her part didn't stop walking, hand still laced with the blond girls but she answered without even looking back. "I don't get it either. We don't have two moons back home, not a blue one or a red one. Is there something special about the red one?"

Kinta had nothing against Prier, the opposite actually but at the moment she didn't feel like explaining what exactly it was. That didn't mean a short abridged version could hurt. "The Red Moon.." She began slowly, finding the right words to use with the less waste. "Is a symbol of rebirth. It has a lot of meaning where I come from."

"Huh..Wonder why its not in our world then?"

In response Kinta gave a helpless shrug despite Prier's inability to see her. She didn't pretend to understand.

After that there was no more talking and the two of them, plus one small child headed down stairs to meet everyone else. In the kitchen area was Angelique slaving away at something, a strange-looking spear that seemed to talk leaning against a counter, definitely sentient but everyone else seemed strangely absent.

"Welcome back Prier." The woman looked a lot like Prier. That is if Prier had a bit longer hair, dressed more femininity and carried herself that way.

And despite only knowing Prier for a short time, Kinta found the chance of that happening incredibly small.

"I Would have came down earlier but had to check on Alouette and Kinta." Prier gestured to the other female. "Kinta, Angelique and the spear is Longnius.. Angelique, Kinta. Now that we got that out the way, is the food about ready? I could eat a horse!"

"..You eat horses?" Alouette had asked Prier curiously looking up at her.

It took a lot of Kinta's training to keep a straight face, and luckily the mask helped.

"Eh.." Prier couldn't exactly get _mad _at the girl. She was only four and normally she had a temper but it had its limits. "It's just a..y'know, figure of speech?" Alouette expression didn't change. "Uh, forget it. But I don't eat horses you'll understand when you're older."

As entertaining as this was, Kinta felt a bit more comfortable off to the side and away a bit from the others. She found a spot just in the corner that was dark enough to serve that purpose and none of the others seemed to care too much if she did or not. Besides, she didn't know these people so it was another reason to keep her distance for now.

"So how are the others coming along?" Prier seemed to make the transition to being a friend to 'mothering' Alouette rather easily. Just as well. Kinta wasn't as good with kids.

"They seem to be fine. Some bumps and bruises but nothing they can't recover from except.." Angelique frowned a bit. "The one with wings, he's been unresponsive. Physically, he seems perfectly fine and I thought nothing of it at first but now.." She shook her head. "I just don't know. It's like something else is wrong and not physical."

There was a slight worried look, but Prier recovered quickly. "I see."

"I'm sure maybe Krichevskoy could find out what's wrong." Angelique assured her. "He's old and very wise."

"Ah. The King has been called many things, but not always wise." Longnius said from his spot a bit wistful "Still, he's no doctor and my knowledge though diverse has its limits.." He amended a bit just a little after. "Between the two of us, we should be able to find out what's ailment troubles Lamington."

_Krichevkoy..Is it That Krichevkoy? _Kinta didn't know what to make of this but found herself more and more intrigued. Krichevkoy had been a well-known Overlord, even in the back woods of nowhere in Veldime in certain circles. But he had died, apparently some freak food accident of some kind. If he was alive had he faked his death?

_Reincarnation. After life. Could be any number of things. _If this was the After Life, she doubted. It seemed a bit bleak for heaven, and not bad enough to be hell. If any of the things about it were true at any rate.

There were too many factors and puzzles missing for Kinta's liking. She only felt she had the basic set but wasn't close to understanding the whole.

One at a time then.

"Angelique. Where is 'here'." Kinta finally asked. "There's two moons, the sky is gray and from the last thing I remembered, we shouldn't even be alive."

Angelique didn't answer right away, taking a discerning glance at Alouette who was sitting by the table on Prier's side, a hard to read expression on her face. "I'll explain later." For whatever reason, she didn't want to talk about it in front of Alouette. Kinta was smart enough to draw the conclusion that it was probably had to do with her being a child and knowing too much so she let it be.

"Hope you don't mind a few more."

Kinta only turned a bit at hearing Croix's voice, seeing the speak along with Adell and Culotte. There was no sign of Lamington. Not a surprise after what Angelique had said, but this confirmed it more.

"Not at all." Angelique smiled. "Please, have a seat. I was just getting started."

This also had other effects, namely Alouette seeing Adell and instantly running over. "Adill!"

Adell was taken off guard by the blond blur coming to attach itself to his leg, but soon he recovered crouching down to give Alouette a hug. "Good to see you too kiddo. It takes a lot more then that to take me down." He put a hand to the child's forehead. "The fever's seems to be completely gone. You feeling all right?"

Alouette just nodded to that, moving to the young man's side. Culotte seemed to be a bit more down then normal, since he barely said anything or reacted as much to anything. Croix and Prier were the first to notice since among those here, they were the ones that knew him the most.

However, before Prier or anyone else could ask if something was wrong, a unexpected factor came into play. A man in their mid or late twenties, black hair in a older styled robe. To the people of the mansion, he was just Noir.

To Adell, Kinta and Alouette he was an unknown.

But to Culotte, Prier and Croix, he had been an enemy.

Kinta knew something was off when the moment the man appeared, Croix tensed, eyes narrowing but didn't quite reach for the gun; instead his hand inched closer to it. Culotte had a completely surprised expression, and Prier, out of the three was hardest to read. She did take a position by Croix but stood almost protectively in front of Alouette.

Angelique was confused. "What's wrong? Noir hasn't done anything."

Croix twitched from his spot. The tension in the room got thicker and heavier.

"Angelique, get away from him." Croix said firmly. "I don't know what trick he's pulling but that man is dangerous."

'Noir' seemed to be irritated. "I don't even know who you are, much less what your problem is with me. I would never harm Angelique."

"You think anyone is going to believe that?" Croix, out of the three seemed the most hostile towards them.

"It's true." Angelique had felt nervous something violent might break out, and stepped forward between them. Hoping to ease out of a possible bloodbath. "Noir doesn't remember that much from his past besides his name. He lost his memory when he was imprisoned."

"He should of stayed there."

Noir regarded Croix cooly without comment at his words.

It was Culotte that acted as the voice of reason, while a confused Adell and Kinta were more then a bit loss at the scene. "I think.." He began, choosing his words carefully. "We need to talk first. Before we do anything we might regret later."

Croix didn't budge for the longest time, but slowly relented. Strangely, Prier was more calm then Croix was even if her temper was usually shorter of the two.

Regardless, Culotte turned to Angelique. "Where's the backyard?"

Slightly unsure about a few things, Angelique didn't answer right away. "To your left once you go down from here." Culotte nodded and the three of them slowly filed out after the directions were given to them.

After they left, there was a somewhat strange and awkward silence, Adell being the first to speak up.

"..Okay. Anyone knows what the just heck happened?"

Kinta shrugged once more. If she knew how people's minds worked; chances are she'd drive herself insane.

* * *

Croix and the others found themselves in the backyard which while spacious was relatively plain. There wasn't much back there despite the size except for grass, some which was a bit wilted and dying. The only other thing of note was a make-shift garden, it was somewhat crude but it worked and somehow despite the sun, the flowers and plants weren't dying.

It didn't really matter to the three though, they were simply here for some private talk. Croix was in a worse mood then Culotte and Prier were. In fact, as long as they had known Croix he had always been a bit more on the easy going side. To see him this worked up meant there was something else going on at play. Something personal that he couldn't overlook.

Prier knew Croix might not like what she was going to say, but it needed to be said. Culotte might have had the same idea because he had been the one to prevent a potential catastrophe they had just narrowly avoided.

There were a couple of reasons Prier hadn't jumped on the bandwagon with Croix.

The primary reason was it just.._felt_ wrong. Noir had done some bad things, true. At the same time just before he passed on, Prier had seen him question a few things before he died. She hated him for things they did and trapping Croix to use his energy to awaken Calamity. Yet at the same time, a small part of her felt pity for the half-demon.

Noir had questioned if he was wrong. Though it had been the ending and far too late, it made her think that maybe just maybe he wouldn't have been so bad if things had been different. Croix and Noir had a haunting similar story. Both had lost someone and in the end had taken it out on the world as a result even if Croix's background was a bit different.

Prier thought with her heart far more often then she did with her head. That came with both plus and minuses. On one hand, she often didn't regret her choices but at times it had caused her not to think things fully through and as a result of not taking the bigger picture, there was unexpected backlash. However, she wasn't stupid as Prier had a logic of her own. It was her heart, but there was some consistent reasoning behind it besides just gut feeling.

You only had to read between the lines.

Right now though, she had to take care of this with Croix.

"Croix." Prier paused. "..I don't think we should attack Noir."

Croix frowned. "Why not? You remember all the things he did, right? Who knows what he's up to now or what he could be planning."

Culotte's bangs were covering his eyes, and he looked a bit down."But Angelique said Noir doesn't even remember who he is."

This made the Demon Hunter look a bit incredulously at him. "You know how tricky he can be. He's the one who set things up to where he could get the power of the Dark Prince in the first place. Besides..even _IF _he's not lying and he has lost his memory, it just means he'll go back to how he was once he gets them back."

"We..should give him a chance, Croix." Prier said quietly, but determined.

"It's too risky."

"You _can't_ know that for sure."

Culotte clinched his fist a bit, not saying anything. Head still bowed.

"You're right, I can't but I'm not taking any chances. He's done too much, we can't just turn the other cheek and say its okay."

If Culotte looked back on this day, he wouldn't still be able to answer what it was exactly. Maybe it was stress. Maybe some part of him still had resentment towards Croix for the fact Alouette had sacrificed her life for him, her child form that had no memories of them not withstanding. He didn't even like Noir and should have had every reason to be distrustful.

Yet when Croix went on, something just clicked, or snapped. He had to say something.

"We gave you a chance too Croix." Culotte said, his voice strangely even. "Noir did some bad things, that's true..but is it really worse then what you did when you were the Dark Prince? You lost your memories and if we had just killed you because of what you did, then you wouldn't be here today."

"And.." Culotte took a deep calming breath. "..Everything else is messed up. Alouette doesn't know who we even are anymore. We're here in some other land or dimension, our home might not even be one piece.." He slowly shook his head. "I like you Croix. But this isn't the time for old grudges when there is so much going on we don't know. If he does anything, maybe but now.."

Croix didn't say anything for a long moment, then turned away. "..Fine.."

While she might of not had romantic feelings for Croix anymore, it still hurt Prier to see him like that.

"Croix.." She tried, but he cut her off.

"..Forget it Prier..just..leave it alone. I'll be fine. Just give me a minute."

Neither Culotte or his sister stopped him as he went a bit away from the two reached into his pockets, pulling out a cigarette to relieve some much needed stress.

Everything wasn't fine. And all of them knew it would stay this way for a bit before it got better.

* * *

Nature as beautiful as it was, had its flaws. For that reason man had often built cities and large towers in vain attempts to reach the heavens or feel important. Besides its natural beauty, there was a far harsher colder side to it. Predator and prey was inevitable. Either you were the predator or simply put, you were the prey of something else sooner or later. There was virtually no exceptions to this rule.

A large seemingly natural field full of flowers and grass was almost hauntingly beautiful. The sky was a very blue color and the sun peaked from the clouds just as it was blocked from view from time to time. There was no animals in this field, just a single winged blond woman.

They stood out in the field not just because they seemed to be the only living being in sight range in the unnaturally beautiful field, but the formal white dress they wore seemed a bit out of place. At least in the sense of someone out in the wild trying to survive. If that was indeed the case of the strange woman out in the middle of nowhere.

There was no hurry with the stranger, they seemed to be picking flowers gently, a single basket in their hands as they did so. So caught up in their own world or ignoring it on purpose, they didn't even react when a flash of light appeared behind her. Xavier came from the light when it died down, looking rather agitated. Just close behind him was Darius, in his humanoid form and trade mark armor. They were a bit more solemn then normal, and that was saying something considering that was their default expression.

"They kept asking too much questions." The man grumbled. "I think we might have to try a different approach."

The woman didn't reply at first, still calmly picking flowers. "Is that so?"

"I would recommend being more careful." Xavier replied, his white hair seemed a lighter shade this time. Maybe due to stress. "Melvil and Larius don't know what the real reason for you sending them after Alouette, and once they find out.."

"Yes. I know, it would lead to a disaster. I'll take care of it." She didn't seem to be concerned at all. "And what happened when you were down at Paprica, Darius?"

"_I was unable to find the maiden_." Darius' almost emotionless eyes seemed to peer at nothing in particular as they talked. _"However, I confronted some of those which protect her. The human proved a bit more difficult then I had originally thought."_

"He means to say, he was utterly humiliated and had too much pride to bother transforming back into his stronger natural form." Xavier said bluntly, Darius ignored him completely.

"_It won't happen again. As long as Lady Poitreene has need of my power, I will continue with my instructions."_

"I say this was the most respect..but shouldn't you be more worried?" Xaiver asked. "It's true things have settle down and there's no in fighting among the ranks but that makes it more dangerous to play your hand."

"_Lady Poitreene is probably more then aware of this fact. She won't end up like that fool Drazil and his own world. He thought that with a few simple nudges he could create a world to his image and leave the failed world, Haephnes, to rot. His plan lacked focus and scope, though it was a somewhat admirable attempt."_

For once Xavier seemed to agree with the currently humanoid dragon. "He lacked true vision. Free will being taken away makes beings nothing more then puppets. Instead, if you simply do a bit of proper fixing of the heart you don't take away the will, but you leave them improved."

"That's why its prudent that Seedle fulfills his end of the bargain." Poitreene said, a small frown on her normally peaceful face. "I am troubled about Alouette presence vanishing from me. I can still feel it but its very faint."

"She's still alive." Xavier said confidently. "If she wasn't you would have felt her power come back to you in earnest. They should have waited before they cleansed Paprica to make sure Baal's power doesn't spread. It was far too premature. For that reason perhaps..someone pulled strings."

"_I am only curious of how they survived in the first place. The world isn't completely barren and there __are some survivors but they were caught directly into the initial blast. It should therfore be impossible but there she is. Aleron and his circle might have." _Darius seemed to be in some thought. _"But then he's never had the power to do something like this."_

"I sincerely doubt him and his could do anything." Xavier scoffed. "Aleron is a cripple in the sense his growth is static and his movement limited. Those in his circle are basically ants of a weakened colony; they are a complete non factor."

"_Even enough ants can strip the flesh clean of an Elephant given enough time."_

This time Xavier had no response.

Poitreene smiled to that. "Indeed. Far too often people in power forget this as easily as the smaller people can set them up, they can also take them down. We can't forget that detail and let all our work be in vain. But..I have a bit of change of plans."

Once the two had their complete attention focused on her, Poitreene held out a hand which soon showed an image of Alouette as she currently was—an child. "Think now. If her life were to end then I'd get my power increased undoubtedly like all the other Maidens of Light that have passed but it wouldn't be as much. However.."

The image grew a bit bigger, showing a full grown Alouette in the hologram-like image. "..If she were to grow and then the power were to come to me then, the rewards would be much more beneficial. Consider it like growing a tree. Small, it only provides enough to get by. Given enough time to reach it full potential and you can do far much more with it."

She closed her hand and the image faded. "I have been going about this the wrong way and I have grown far too impatient. We will let her continue to travel with her group and discover who exactly put her in the Twilight Realm. Alouette is our seed, she should be allowed to ripe properly in her power and when the time comes she'll eventually use enough power to come to us. It's simply easier to let others think they're going in one direction when they're simply doing the work for us."

"_A cunning as devious as ever Lady Poitreene. I would have expected no less."_

There wasn't an instant response from Xavier, in fact there was expression of indecision in his eyes. Poitreene simply smiled, moving closer and placing a hand on his shoulder and for some reason or another, the hesitation faded and they relaxed.

"You should take some time to relax, old friend." She said, her voice soothing and gentle.

"Yes..I have been tired.." They repeated, their voice having a strange subdued quality.

"Why don't you take a bit of rest and spend time with your family, yes?"

Xavier just nodded slowly, as if the idea was completely his own. "I'll do that. It's been nice talking to you Poitreene. I am happy you haven't changed too much." After those words, they backed away a bit and in a flash of white, they were gone.

Darius moved a bit closer, watching where Xavier had disappeared from. _"He too is ignorant of what __happens. Do you regret not being fully truthful to what you have changed into?"_

For a briefest moment, Poitreene had a look close to sadness but it was gone the next instant.

"It's necessary. Once things are complete, he'll understand. They all will."

* * *

**Author Notes:** And done, I wasn't completely happy with this chapter but then I usually never am.

Anyway, I was thinking of maybe doing more then one ending. Much like with many of the Nippon Ichi titles do. What do you guys think?


	17. Plans

**Author Notes**: I would like to say thanks for the reviews. To answer flintD's question, yes that's actually the idea. It _is _something that isn't touched on in a lot of stories and a lot of this story is suppose to be about character development and growing as people. That's something I'm a sucker for. That's largely the reason he still doesn't know about his race still, but there's a valid reason he doesn't in this story.

Remember when Adell's mother showed up and then there was a brief mention of 'knowing' the owner of the mansion but yet so far they haven't appeared on screen? It's not a coincidence, it'll be cleared up soon.

There is a play through of La Pucelle of story only located on my bio, if you want. Granted its not quite the same but it gives one something to work with.

* * *

The village of the snow Melody Clan was located just in the base of a mountain range miles away from the larger Holt village. During its prime, before the fake Zenon's attack all those years ago it had once been something of a power house, not to mention much larger. These days, the village was a humble rest spot of a recovering clan trying to regain its former strength. Though it had been four years of being rebuilt from the ground up, after effects of the fake Overlords attacks remained visible

From the darkened gray sky and slightly foreboding atmosphere, it was easy to tell something was amiss about the lands. A fact that troubled Rozalin and those in her circle. Endorph, Ash and the now recovered Castile had came to the village to plan for the next move, as well as let Rozalin discuss things among her friends.

Endorph hadn't been happy about Castile coming but he couldn't just let her stay here. It took a bit of debating but Ash had a point earlier:

"_She's gotten this far on her own right? Besides, we can't just leave her on her own."_

So while Endorph couldn't be said to be happy about it, he understood. Not to mention another part of him was definitely happy to see her again, even if she still didn't know his true identity. Castile had thought of him as 'Mr. Walnut' still despite the name change and the couple of years they had been apart.

It was at least four years before Endorph, formerly known as Walnut had 'sacrificed' himself to save Ivoire. Castile had to at least be in her mid-teens after all that time but she looked the same as she had when he had left, only she was freely able to move about without the assistance of a wheel chair. The only thing that made sense was time went by slower(or faster) in some places. Endorph and Ash had seen enough stranger things not too throw something like that out the window.

Ash, Endorph and Castile were in one of the small houses, trying to keep warm. The place was insulated so the cold wasn't that bad. That didn't prevent the fact Endorph's fingers felt as if they were going to shatter with the slightest touch didn't help things. Even inside the building, their breath was clearly visible due to how cold it was. Castile was holding her hands out over a fire place, huddled close enough to it while not straying too close. 'Putty' as the small creature was called, was currently stationed on Castile's shoulders, content.

_It must be a demon thing not to be effected by this cold. A guy can't even spit without it turning to ice._

Endorph was just a bit irritated, but he could understand Rozalin and her friends having a few things to talk about before they came up with a decision. Ash seemed to be the only one that wasn't nearly all that bothered by the cold. _Then again, cold to him is probably better then not feeling anything at all __now that he has a body again._

He tried to picture himself like that; unable to feel anything or feel the taste of food as it went down his throat.

No. Endorph couldn't picture that. He'd rather be dead. It was the little things that made life worth living, a lesson that wasn't learned until later.

While they waited, Castile was doing a bit of catching up with Endorph and Ash. She told them about how they managed to finally find a cure for her illness after Walnut and Ash had vanished, and how they decided to go look for them their selves. What was most surprising besides the fact that Castile's parents had let her go on a journey in the first place, was the fact she became a Chroma along side Marona before too long.

But the last part for both men weren't sure if it was even possible. Apparently, the legendary skill 'Pycho Burgundy' wasn't just something passed down by genetics: it was something that could be _taught _ too people. Scarlet or Sienna as she was known by these days had taught her before she and Marona had decided to go on their journey. Apparently, while it was a ability that could be taught to others, just not everyone could learn it. That would explain why Scarlet hadn't taught as many people as she could while Sulphur was running amok on Ivoire those years ago.

Endorph wasn't sure what to make of it. He had mixed feelings about it. Part of him felt a sense of pride about his own little sister learning that skill, another part was tempered with the fact said skill and occupation was dangerous.

He'd be a hypocrite if he said she should stay home and be safe. After all, running away and becoming a Chroma Oxide was something he had done being not that much older then Castile currently was. On that note, she still looked around twelve or thirteen.

That was a question both of them were curious about.

"Castile, how long has it been since we've been gone?" Ash asked, he was curious and there was another reason; to confirm something.

"A year." Castile answered, rubbing her hands over the fire to return some warmth to them. "Why?"

Both Endorph and Ash only had one thought to that:

_..A year? _

"It's been four years for me and Endorph..." Ash mused out loud.

Castile stopped rubbing her hands for a moment, turning around to face them. "But..that doesn't make any sense. How can there be a time difference like that?"

"Different dimensions have different times." Endorph said simply. "In one, a year might pass and in another one only a month. Not all of them though, some are usually somewhere in the same ball park. Me and Ash haven't exactly been anywhere near the neighborhood, so it makes sense."'

"Sorry for keeping you all waiting, zam."

All further conversation halted when Rozalin and two others stepped inside. Rozalin was the first everyone recognized from the moment she stepped in, but there were two that were new. There was another woman that seemed younger then Rozalin was with black hair, sandals and what seemed to be in a kimono of some kind, blue to no surprise to Endorph.

_Goes with the snow theme I'm guessing. _

The other figure was male, at least the same height of the former Chroma Oxide. Another small fact Endorph noticed soon wasn't something trivial as the fact he wore similar clothes to Yukimaru, but his eyes. They were purely white and seemed to have no pupils and just under his right eye seemed to be a scar from a nasty battle that took a turn for the worse. He'd know a bad scrap from anywhere after all Endorph had seen. Even that wasn't what he noticed mostly.

It was the way they carried themselves. Not an arrogant gait or something that came from someone who had too high a opinion of their power. Who ever they were, they moved with the careful and nearly deathly silent foot steps of a fighter. A very experienced one. The blindness didn't seem much of a handicap to them, just a hindrance; as if losing their sight made them lose one sense but gain something much more.

Not someone he wanted to piss off, not that he and Ash came here looking for a scrap to get into. Even Yukimaru gave off a similar vibe, but the older one he definitely needed to keep his eye on. Ash got the silent memo, even if he didn't give any verbal or body language cues.

"I am Yukimaru of the Snow Melody Clan." The new woman said, bowing a bit. "Once again, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. We had a lot to discuss with Rozalin at the moment, zam."

"You don't have to say zam at the end of your sentences." The other ninja mused, as if they had this conversation more then a few times. "You're reached the point in skill its not necessary anymore."

"I know. Force of habit."

They seemed to leave it alone after that, not commenting, turning to their guest with eyes that seemed to look into, and through some of the guest. "I am Fubuki, elder Ninja of the Snow Clan. I hope the commendations in here have been adequate. We're still rebuilding and its not often we get company outside our clan." His gaze briefly turned in Rozalin's general direction. "Present company excluded."

"No, no, its fine. You've been more then hospitable to us." Ash said politely. "My name is Ash. Thank you for hearing us out."

Knowing a cue when he saw one, Endorph got his own introductions out the way. "It's just Endorph. And I gotta say, the place has a charm of its own. I can see why you set up shop here."

Fubuki and Yukimaru were pleased to hear that, and that was when the youngest of the group, the girl with strange green creature stepped forward.

"My name is Castile." The young girl smiled at the small green creature on her shoulder that was still happily on her shoulders. "And this is Mocha. Say hello." After the introduction, the Putty made a motion with its small hands, the gesture was sign language but the basic meaning was understood easily enough anyway. "He can't talk so I taught him sign language, but he's very smart."

Fubuki seemed intrigued. "And what is Mocha exactly?"

"A Putty. They live back in my world, but they say Putty's might come from another place."

"I see." The elder Ninja left it alone, his curiosity wasn't entirely sated but there was more important business to be had. "We've talked to Rozalin about what you told us, and you have our attention but there's some thing's to clear up. Such as this 'Poitreene'. Is she and hers really from the after life?"

Endorph actually snorted. "She would _like _it if that were true, but no. It's more of..think of it like a Higher Dimension that most people can't get to. Apparently, she and others have this facade thing going for them. Aleron knows the details better then I do. But the strange things going on like the Prinnies and such? That's her doing."

"How is that even possible?" Rozalin asked, a bit troubled by the implications. "If what you say is accurate, how can they effect things on this scale? It doesn't seem like just Veldime but others have the same problem."

"We're not really completely sure." Ash admitted reluctantly. "What we do know is they have something that can 'clean' worlds. They use it on planets Baal has been on..and eventually clean those worlds.."

There was a brief silence after that as it sunk in of what he was implying.

"Wouldn't Baal have to be here in the first place zam?" Yukimaru hadn't notice the slight slip in using the honorific at the end nor did her brother bother saying anything about it.

"Much as I hate to say it, he probably washere." Ash didn't want to alarm them but they deserved to know exactly what was happening and what they might get into. "It's safe to say he's not here anymore or he would have shown up by now."

Rozalin was troubled and she wasn't the only one. Baal the Lord of Terror was something of a bed time story whispered to children to frighten them, or a tall tale that was far more of a exaggeration. Hearing that Baal was here in Veldime..it was pretty easy to tell the implications bothered Rozalin and the others after hearing that.

"Is there anyway to stop this spread?" There had to be something they weren't telling or missing. Rozalin was sure of it.

"There's two known ways to do it. Baal dies, that's the first but much easier said then done. The second? You pump enough light energy into the place to cancel it out. The bad news is, energy like _that _ just typically doesn't come knocking on your door step." Endorph said.

Fubuki silent for a moment contemplating what was told to him. "Then being blunt, are you going to fight Baal and this Poitreene directly?"

"Eventually, most likely." Ash said slowly. "Aleron has a plan of trying to gather as many of the powerful leaders in one place to combine forces and take the fight to them."

"Optimistic." Fubuki wasn't a politician, but he knew different views often clashed. That was a understatement when it came to putting various Overlords in a room. A giant free for all where axes cleaved skulls and energy attacks blowing up the meeting room and by extension—the whole area around it.

It would be similar to expecting group of Hyena's and lions with nukes attached to their backs to get along while there was a fresh carcass in view.

Even Rozalin was a bit skeptical. "How exactly are you going to get everyone to work together? Much less a group of Overlords?"

"..Overlords?" Castile was lost through out most of the conversation, even with a few things explained to her earlier by Ash and Endorph.

"Kings. Just think of them as kings Castile." Ash's explanation was horribly simplified, but it answered the question.

"Never said the idea wasn't risky." Endorph shrugged. "But this one of the few chances we have. That's why we wanted Rozalin to come along; you're the leader of Veldime now more or less. Normally, it probably be worse then pulling teeth from a dragon doing this, but if there's a mutual large threat to their self-interest, I think they could stand each other for a bit longer. ..Even the more pissy and bratty Overlords."

At the words brat, Rozalin suddenly had an certain image of a pint-sized Overlord with a cape and a scarf.

"We'll..just have to do this carefully and hope it doesn't explode into a free for all." Endorph said simply as if it was that easy.

"And, if it fails?" Rozalin let it hang.

"I guess we'd kind of all be screwed without a plan B."

* * *

Adell wasn't one that typically took a 'teaching' role.

He wasn't completely inexperienced with the role, having taught his younger brother what he could and maybe a few pointer to friends, but formally teaching was different. After making sure Alouette was taken care of, he had taken Prier, Croix, Culotte and even Kinta in the back for some training.

They didn't really need training, at least not most of them, thinking of Culotte who seemed to have any barely any bare handed fighting experience at all. What Adell had in mind was not so much to build from the ground up as that would take too much time and Culotte was the only one who sorely needed a quick crash course. Instead, all he really needed to do what was try to help refine what was there, improve it and hopefully come out the better for it. The problem?

He wasn't quite sure on the _how _part.

Prier, from what he had seen obviously had Mana manipulation down and a fighting style that suited her pretty good. The problem he saw in her fighting style is she used far, far, too many kicks and against someone around or above her level that could potentially be dangerous. After all if someone caught your leg, they could easily throw you off balance—or worse yet grab you and force you to grapple. Not to mention she was far too aggressive and tended to burn herself out quickly.

Not something you wanted to do against an enemy that could snap you half like a twig.

For Croix, he had some hand to hand training, he focused too much on his guns. Adell decided that just a bit more working closely with him could help, but he knew next to nothing about fire arms. As a rule, weapons weren't his style, much less things like bows or guns. At least with a sword you were up close but it didn't feel right doing it at a distance. These days he could understand though after all the things he learned and experienced.

As for Culotte..

We'll, that was going to be the most work.

It was obvious he had some Mana manipulation if he was using magic like he was, not to mention surviving that hit from Darius and just being hurt instead of turned into a bloody puddle. There was no getting around the fact his magic was very powerful, probably even abnormally so considering his age and amount of training he had but he was physically frail. That was a weakness mages in general suffered from. This was why they were typically 'Glass Cannon's' and tended to stay in the back while the more physical-oriented members of the party did their part. The problem with that is you might as well had a glowing neon sign attached to your body.

Adell wasn't a mage or a gunslinger. Culotte and Croix have fundamentally different fighting styles then his own and he was at a loss of how to proceed with things. It wasn't as if he had ever done this before.

Just for a moment the idea of transmigration came to his mind it was dismissed even quicker.

Transmigration was a tricky subject but he understood the basics of it. Some of it from Kane trying to explain to him or a few mages talking about the subject. At the time, it had barely interested Adell and he only knew the fundamentals about it but there were a few things that made him not even consider it an option.

For one, the process usually required having a Gate Keeper or someone similar to act both as a an anchor and a guide. After that, came the trickier part of focusing your mana—or more accurately, focusing _both _your mana and spirit into another body. Or with some, it was simply used to 'reboot' yourself in a way. You'd look the same, but you'd be notably weaker then before. The benefits were obvious: Much larger mana reserves in the long run, a much faster growth rate and the ability to take what you learned and apply to a better suited body.

It didn't cancel out curses(as in the case of Tink being stuck) unless the person performing it was stronger then the person that casted it in the first place. Adell knew the practical benefits behind it, but honestly the simple idea of 'moving his spirit' in any shape or form even if it was technically still the same body unnerved him. Not to mention it wasn't as if they had anyone with the skills to perform it just laying around and he wasn't going to play around with something that could get someone's spirit stuck into a tree.

Or a bug like an ant that was likely to be torn to pieces by equally or more vicious insects. That would really, really suck.

In the end, thinking and analyzing it to the Netherworld and back wasn't going to get things done and he had a commitment to his..students? He guessed he could call them that for now. If they didn't get their act together, they were going to be in trouble and with one of their strongest members out of the action it made things worse.

_I'll..figure something out. It's not like the first teachers had a road map right? They had to figure everything out the hard way._

Adell made his way to the backyard, it was large enough to get what needed to be done and collateral damage like destroying the backyard or the mansion itself could be avoided if they weren't going all out. That and they weren't back to full strength so that was even less likely.

Prier, Croix, Culotte were all outside waiting for him, Kinta on the side but close enough. Good, everyone was in one place.

"What took you so long?" Prier asked when Adell came closer.

"Sorry. I had to make sure Alouette was okay, but I'm good now." Adell said. "All right. Everyone gather around." He noticed Croix acting a bit more oddly then normal, he seemed more quite but he could only guess it had something to do with Noir. That was the only thing that came to mind.

"First, how much do you guys know about mana?"

"Mana? You mean spirit energy?" Culotte inquired.

_Spirit energy? _Adell had only heard that term vaguely. "Uh, no. What I'm thinking of is the same thing but a different name. The special attacks you guys normally do? People usually call that mana. You with me so far?"

At everyone's nod, excluding Kinta who already knew, he continued. "Mana, I guess the best way to put it simply is energy, but that's not completely accurate. It's energy of the universe itself, crazy as it sounds. Least that's what my teacher told me. Anyway, making it shorter, it exist within just about everything, even things like rocks or tree's. If you don't have it, you can't exist."

"But just because you have it, doesn't mean you can use it properly or to its full extent. That's why you have to be taught to use it. You can use it from simply amping yourself physically, learning special attacks or even magic."

Adell held out a hand, a small flicker of fire appeared before forming into a sold ball of fire. "And even stuff like this is part of mana manipulation." He closed his fist and the fire was snuffed out as if it was never there.

"This 'mana' thing sounds a lot like spirit energy." Prier said, crossing her arms. "I never heard of it being in all things. Just people."

"And you're saying even my magic uses mana too?"

Seeing their looks, Adell could tell they were skeptical, especially Culotte. Croix hadn't said anything yet and behind his shades it was harder to make out what he was thinking.

"I can get why you guys would be skeptical. I didn't believe it either until my teacher demonstrated." Adell tried to think of a easy way to get what he was getting at, nothing came before it hit him.

"What he says actually makes sense." Croix said suddenly, catching all three's attention.

"Sense? You mean you heard of this before?" If he had, Prier wondered why he mentioned this only just now.

"Yeah." Croix nodded. "Back when I was traveling, there was some monks at the temple that were studying things. They were demons but they weren't causing any trouble, I got sent there by Lior's Empire for a job." If his shades weren't covering his eyes, he likely would have rolled his eyes. "Anyway, long story short, they talked about this 'mana' thing too. That and something about Geo Symbols."

"Whoa, slow down." Adell made sure he heard right. "Geo symbols? Monks? ..Did they call themselves Geomancers?"

"Yeah, why?"

Adell resisted the urge to palm his forehead. "Nothing. Just met them before." By 'met' he remembered his trips to the item world and other adventures where he had been stuck solving Geo Puzzles. Those hadn't been fun.

"Anyway. What I was thinking-"

Adell's sentence was cut off by Angelique's voice, having stepped outside. "Adell? Your mother wants to talk to you."

This instantly caught the young man's attention, a few emotions appearing on his face but mostly that of confusion. _What is she doing here? How did she even Get here?_

Adell shook his head. He'd find that out soon enough. Turning to his students, he decided for now to end the lesson even if they hadn't had a chance to cover any ground. "Sorry, have to cut this short for now. Could you guys wait a sec? I'll be back."

"Sure."

"Fine with me."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay."

Getting the responses from Prier, Croix, Kinta and Culotte respectfully, Adell turned to leave and follow in after Angelique. "Where's Alouette?"

"She's sleeping. She just got through eating so it wasn't hard for her to fall asleep afterwards." Angelique moved through the mansion with Adell until they got to the living room. Sure enough, minding her own business was Adell's adopted mother or as Angelique knew her name as 'Nariko'.

"I'll leave you two to your business." Angelique made a polite exit and left to another part of the mansion to leave the two some privacy.

The first thing that came to Adell's mind on seeing her, was the first thing that came out of his mouth."Mom, what are you doing here? How did you get here?"

His mother looked amused. "What? A mother can't visit?" Seeing his not amused face, she sighed a bit. "I summoned myself here."

"..You can do that..?"

"I am a woman of many talents." Nariko's mood then a three-sixty soon after, and if Adell didn't know better he would have thought after effects of the curse still lingered. "I should be asking _you _a lot of questions. Do you know how long you've been gone? How worried we all were?"

Adell could tell his mom was a bit pissed and instantly part of his brain went into 'survival' mode. Not that his life was in danger or anything(for the most part) but he knew he needed to calm her down. He was not scared or anything—he was just being practical. No need for upsetting your mom, right?

The young man backed up just slightly from the angry, but shorter woman. "Whoa, slow down. It's not like I stayed away on purpose." That seemed to stop her wrath from red to yellow. "The Gatekeeper just had a slip up, and the place I was in didn't have any." It switched from yellow to green and her anger seemed to evaporate.

Mentally he gave a sigh of relief. Even after the curse, his mother seemed to have those odd mood swings of hers. Luckily, it seemed to only happen more when she was upset. Most of the time.

Still, he was somewhat surprised that after wanting to wring his neck into a pretzel, she pulled him into a tight hug. "Don't do that again."

Recovering, Adell returned it. "I won't."

Nariko pulled away, her mood being that much better, she took a seat by the couch, motioning for Adell too. Which he did, taking one close by. "There's something else important we need to talk about."

Adell didn't like the sound of that tone. "What is it?"

"Your birth parents." Adell didn't respond. "One of them is here. Shura, your biological mother but they aren't here right now. They don't stay at the mansion long but they do own it."

"..My birth parents huh?" Adell's tone was hard to read. Nariko and his father had told him a bit about them, the real reason they had left.

..And the fact it sunk in those two people working for the 'fake' Zenon he killed. He wasn't sure how to feel about it now.

"That's not all Adell." She continued, her voice more gentle then it was normally which wasn't that often. "When I talked to her, I found out something I didn't know before. Both your parents, they aren't human Adell. They're demons."

That didn't sink in until a moment later. Adell frowned. "Wait, are you sure? I don't have red eyes and my ears aren't pointed. They're round."

Nariko sighed a bit. "That's because they wanted to leave their past behind and blend in. Shura was the person who taught me how to summon in the first place. They placed a spell on themselves to blend in more and when you were born, after effects lingered. That's why you look as you do. Plus, Yukimaru has blue eyes."

Point. Still.

"I know this has to be a lot to take in, but just give her a chance."

Adell looked down at his hands a bit. He wasn't sure. Strangely, it wasn't the part of him being a demon that bothered him all that much. It had to with the fact he had taken their life with his bare hands and now here he was. Another chance to start over and mend fences with the mother he could barely remember and hadn't had a chance too.

The old Adell would have been stubborn about it. They had abandoned him, promising him they would return but never did. Now that he knew the whole story, not to mention matured a bit from age and the experiences on Paprica, he couldn't view it that simply anymore.

It wasn't black and white. Not anymore.

"..I'll try."

For Nariko that seemed to be enough. "Good. When they come back I'll let you know if you don't run into them yourself."

Adell didn't have anything else to say to that, so he switched subjects. "So..if you got here yourself does that mean we can get back too?"

"You can, but not easily." The summoner rubbed her chin. "Summoning myself here to the Twilight Realm was hard enough, but other people is going to take more..doing. I'll need a bit of time."

Adell was fine with that, for now. At least they had a way. "If this place from what I heard is a 'in between' realm for people who die, what happens to living people who die here?"

"Oh, we'll their soul gets destroyed." Nariko said a bit to casually shrugging, almost making Adell face-fault. "They made it hard for living people to get here and when that wasn't enough there was an extra penalty added. If you die here, you just cease to exist."

"And you came _here? _On purpose?" Adell asked incredulously.

"I didn't come here for vacation, if that's what you mean." Nariko said simply. "I was trying to summon you back home, but that didn't work. So the next option was to go where you were, and when that couldn't work, I did the next best thing. Send me somewhere that would lead me to you, and here I am."

While Adell didn't like it, he understood so he let it go for now. "I have to get going back, I've held up everyone else long enough." As he stood up to leave, he paused. "And no matter what happens with my biological mom, you're still my mom. Heh, maybe I'll just be getting two."

As he left Nariko shook her head a bit but smiled.

_That boy._

* * *

Krichevskoy had been staying in Lamington's room most of the time, checking up on his friend but finding no signs of him waking up soon. Lognius was silently in the corner while Noir sat in a chair silently, not saying anything or making any other noise. He had been acting a bit more strangely as of late, more quite and withdrawn but he didn't know why. It was something he'd talk to him later about, eventually.

Young people made things more complicated then they needed to be.

Angelique was gently moving the Seraph's head up a bit so she could readjust his pillow so he was more comfortable. The good news about this strange coma was that the former Over Lord recognized what Lamington was suffering from, which was more or less coma caused by a overflow of his powers due to being exposed(or rather overwhelmed) with something close to his own element.

The good news was he didn't need substance in this state and was something close to suspended animation at the moment.

And the bad news was, there was no time-table for when, or if the Seraph would wake up.

After making sure Lamington was comfortable, Angelique backed away a bit, the silence from Krichevskoy bothering her more then anything else. It wasn't like him. He was usually easy going and joking around and now he was silent was a grave. Noir wasn't that much better either.

She bit her lip a bit, hesitant, but speaking up again. "..Have you seen this before in person?"

The former Overlord didn't respond right away. "Once. A long time ago, but it wasn't like this. This one seems different."

"Different?"

Krichevkosy sighed. "The first time something like this happened when I was just a boy. No one was really sure what it was—what it was called. It was the first time we encountered it. One of my father's vassals seemed to catch it in a fight with another Overlord.." His eyes grew a bit more distant as he recalled what happened. "The healers weren't sure what to make of it. They said it was like his mana was overloaded and put him into a coma. They stayed like that for a good long time, not needing to eat or sleep. Then, eventually he just..faded away."

Probably for the first time since being in the room, Noir seemed to have regained some life. "Faded away?"

Again, the former king nodded. "Faded. The people there saw the body just become transparent and then vanished. It was a horrible way to die." He frowned. "Lamington is not going to suffer the same fate, he'll pull through. He's too strong to die from this."

Neither Angelique or Noir said anything to that. Just looking at the Seraph it seemed like he was only just taking a nap and not in a strange coma of some kind.

Not for the first time, Angelique felt a bit useless. There was nothing she could do at the moment to help and that was something she hated. The only thing she could do now is wait and hope for the best. Her healing powers she had tried earlier but it hadn't seemed to do anything but make him less pale. Maybe it had effected him somewhat, but enough to wake him back up.

_I hope you get better Lamington. For Krichevskoy and your own sake._

* * *

The first thing Lamington noticed was his body felt oddly light, as if he was there but not truly attached to his own body. There was no pain that he could feel, if anything at the moment he felt better then he had in a while.

But that couldn't shake the feeling that something was fundamentally off somehow. Something in the back of his mind was telling him something was wrong, besides the fact he was awake in some unknown location.

Around him, as far as the Seraph could see was a large green field that seemed to stretch endlessly. Tree's towered over him in the distance and the sky was a clear blue while the air was clean enough if he hadn't known better, he would have thought he was back in Celestia somehow. But despite all this something about the beautiful scene and the atmosphere felt _wrong _somehow. It was hard to put his finger on it.

He knew he wasn't awake, however he had never had 'lucid dreaming'. It was almost felt like a dream but at the same time just a bit more real. If this wasn't a dream then, where was he?

"Just the person I wanted to see."

At first Lamington didn't know where the voice had come from, which sounded female. Moments later his question was answered. A beautiful blond-haired woman, likely in her twenties from the looks of it and wearing something similar to a toga. At first he thought might have been a angel since she had two white wings, but thought otherwise after feeling her power.

It was different.

"I'm sorry there isn't much here, but I wasn't expecting you to arrive so soon." The strange woman apologized to him. "I'm Poitreene. It's a pleasure to meet you Lamington."

There were few times Lamington lost his mask, and it took a moment for his surprise to go away. "You..are you the one that sent me here?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm actually surprised you're still alive. Never the less, I decided to contact you. The reason I can contact you like this is because when it comes down to it, angels and celestials share the same link. This is the only time your weak enough for me to try. I want to offer you a deal, Lamington. It concerns your group and the Maiden you protect."

The Seraph's answer was short and cold. "I'm not interested in hearing what someone who is using a little girl and ruined a world. Just leave."

Poitreene just smiled, not bothered by his tone. "I had a feeling you would say that. I'm not the monster you and others seem to think I am. There seems to be a misunderstanding. The world just came from would have been used as a base for Baal. Had he had his way, it would have put things in a dire situation."

"..."

Continuing despite his silence, the Goddess continued. "I don't intend to kill the maiden. I will tell you one thing: she'll grow up. Sooner then possible, actually. What I intend to do with her power is for a greater cause, a noble one."

"You call all this lost of life 'noble'? It's noble to you?" Lamington hissed, sounding angry for the first time. "Or is it all just a game?"

"You don't seem to understand. You're the same mind as Catherine. Too small to see the bigger picture." Poitreene frowned. "I _do _care. Perhaps I care too much. That's why I have to do what I'm doing. People suffer and die everyday. I'm not as foolish or naïve enough to think it can all be stopped, but drastically lowering these..flaws would go a long way."

"So I will offer anyway to be polite. You and yours stay out of the way. Doing this, I would be willing to even go out of the way to spare Alouette but still achieve my end result. I think that's reasonbale, what is your anwer?" Poitreene finished.

"And if we don't accept this offer?"

This time, when the Goddess smiled it was anything but kind. "Then I will crush your group underfoot and not even think twice about it. I rather avoid that if I can. Remember, I don't need you alive Lamington but I'd rather avoid killing you. Losing a Seraph like yourself would be a shame."

"I'll let you think about it, but remember I have a limit to my patience." Without another word, Poitreene vanished in a white light, leaving Lamington alone with his own thoughts.

* * *

Space was one among one of the hostile environments a living being could endure. While not the roughest it was by no means easy feat to live, much less thrive in it. If the lack of air didn't kill you, then it would be the cold. If not for that, then the potential of being sucked into a black hole or pulled into a planets gravity was no way appealing.

This was made worse that the laws of physics made normal flight impossible with things like the use of wings because there was no air which to push from. This meant the beings that could survive in space were both incredibly hardy and powerful. It was said high-level demons could survive and move in space as if they were on earth. Theoretically, powerful enough Angels or Humans could if they had enough mana but since nobody had seen one in space, it was hard to say.

A single powerful being floated in space, not seeming to have any destination or purpose. Great horns curved over their head with a muscular grey-skinned body and a cape. If anyone was present to watch the being they would have instantly known who they were.

Baal drifted among the emptiness of space as if he was simply going through a stroll. They hadn't escaped the blast that had ruined that human world Paprica but it had been enough. However, due to the nature of the energy he could feel his power wane from what it once was. This was only mildly irritating, but not impossible to get around. What was more he had blacked out for a short period until recently.

After all, at the least it would provide him with more of a challenge with this handicap. If he was patient enough he could have waited and if Baal was anything, he was patient. There wasn't any point in waiting any longer and the fun was just waiting to be had.

Those Celestials and the Goddess they bent over backwards for would be dealt with, in time. Once he claimed both this world and the dimensions above as his own.

..Poitreene...

Yes, she would be dealt with once he found her. All of them would in time. And then they would see the world as how it was and how it should be.

As powerful as he was, he couldn't be everywhere at once. It was prudent he'd build his forces back up but the problem was making sure no one discovered it in time. While he was still confident even with his weakened power he was more then a match for most, he wasn't so sure if a strong enough Overlord found out about them. The place he had now would suffice, that was until he found a more secure area for his base of operations.

Since having grown bored of pondering and not doing, the Lord of Terror felt the familiar 'shift' take place as he summoned his own body from space to another area. This one seemed to be almost like a large cave of some sort. In reality, it was only a small part of his own base. In this particular area he ran some experiments regarding 'creating' his own vassals.

A large circle made of black chalk from the looks of it stood in the middle along with strange symbols around. This was a 'summoning' circle. Baal had learned in time the basics of this and it was something every half decent Overlord learned to do.

It did one of two things. It either summoned monsters or demons for a contract as in service. Or if you were advanced enough, literally creating a vassal from scratch to do your bidding. After all, life was nothing more then condensed mana in which this entire process worked on in theory. The problem was they were usually very weak without some intense training.

Baal had the patience however, not to mention ways to find loopholes out of this. Just outside of the circle was a strange 'egg' for lack of a better word. When Baal came closer, very faint sounds of screams were heard and hands seem to appear to try to 'claw' their way out. It was a mixture of demon, human, and angel victims for his own project.

Picking up the ball, it went silent, and Baal, tilted its head in a vaguely human-like way. Without another word, he placed the strange ball in the middle of summoning circle. Placing a large hand on it and pouring just a bit of his power into the ball; which hardened and turned pitch black. After a moment, he was satisfied and backed away from the circle to stand to the side.

At first, nothing happened. Then the sound of cracking echoed through out the cave as it broke like an egg, the form of his project becoming visible for the first time.

And then Baal smiled.

_Welcome._

* * *

** Author Notes:** It took me forever to get this chapter done as I was never happy with it. However, I decided to push through and just run with it and here it is. You can expect Laharl and the gang to appear next chapter. After all, on Rozalin's end they have to gather various Overlords. Naturally, this being the Nippon Ichi verse, much less Disgaea you can likely expect chaos from it. But at least it'll be fun to watch from the sides.


End file.
